William R. Fleming

William Robert Fleming, one of three children of Robert Harmon and Virginia Dorothy (Bell) Fleming, was born December 8, 1943 in Burlington, IA. Bill attended Burlington schools and graduated from the high school in 1962. He attended Burlington Community College and Iowa State University in Ames, where he graduated in 1968 with a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering. Bill worked for McDonnel Douglas in St. Louis, MO until joining the U.S. Air Force on November 8, 1968. Bill was stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, NE. He later served on bases in Oklahoma, California, Alabama, and Indiana. While stationed at Grissom Air Force Base as a KC-135 pilot, Bill received his Masters in Public Administration at Ball State University in Muncie, IN. Due to cancer, Captain Fleming medically retired from the Air Force in January 1980 and moved to Glenwood, IA. In 1982, Bill began teaching at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs and retired in 2002. Bill was serving as a Professor Emeritus of Computer Studies, and MCIT Grant Site Coordinator at Iowa Western. Bill and Eileen Louise Jotzke were united in marriage on July 12, 1969 at Morning...[more]

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e Lutheran Church in Sioux City, IA. Their marriage was blessed with three children, Amy, Todd, and Lorilee. Bill was an active member of St. John Lutheran Church in Mineola, IA and had served in the past as Council President. He was serving on the Board at Bethany Lutheran Home in Council Bluffs and was Recording Secretary for the local chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Bill was a member of the Mineola American Legion Post 705. He was serving as Vice President of the Oakland Flying Eagles RC Club in Oakland, IA. Bill enjoyed spending time with his family, helping Eileen at the preschool, traveling, and designing and building projects. Bill and Eileen had been married 34 years when Bill died of a sudden heart attack on August 6, 2003 at the Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, IA. He had attained the age of 59 years, 7 months, and 28 days. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, sister-in-law Judy Jotzke, brother-in-law Kenneth Thompson, and father-in-law Adolph Jotzke. He is survived by his wife Eileen of Glenwood; children Amy Smith and her husband Nathan and their daughters Jocelyn and Evelyn Smith of West Des Moines, IA, Todd Fleming and his wife Katie of Honolulu, HI, and Lorilee Fleming of Sioux Falls, SD; sister Shirley Thompson of Keokuk, IA and brother Joseph Fleming and his wife Diana of Madison, WI; mother-in-law Irene Jotzke of Sioux City, IA, and brothers-in-law Don Jotzke and his wife Caryl, Jim Jotzke and his wife Stephanie, and Ken Jotzke and his wife Doris; nieces and nephews, other relatives, and friends.