Bill’s grandfather Davies started a Hotel in Lamar, Colorado 1902 that he built even though he had a bad leg and used crutches. He ordered lumber in by train and built the Hotel from ground up. The family moved after they became Adventists to College View, Lincoln in the mid 1920’s and lived in tents until they found housing. They started a grocery store and it was closed on the Sabbath and was open on Sundays. The store never carried any meat and still was able to have good business through the years. Grandpa Davies lived to 105 years of age and was at the time the oldest adventist member at Union College Church. Bill’s Grandfather Kuehl was a Adventist Minister that was stationed in Africa for a while and other places before retiring in College View on Bancroft Street.
Bill’s mother and father met at Union College and were married after graduation. Bill’s father and Uncle Don both ran the store when the old folks couldn’t any more. Don Madison decided the store could not support the two families and Don went into ministries while Bill’s dad continued to run the store and changed the name of the store to Kuehl’s Grocery in the 1940’s. The store was located across the street from the Clock Tower on 48th and Cooper, where his father hired a lot of the Union College students giving them extra money while in school.
When Bill’s father would leave the house in the morning, Bill’s mother would tell Bill’s dad to move “Billy’s” tricycle off the porch otherwise Billy would drive it right off the porch. As a child, Billy loved playing outside in the small community of Union College. He would play outside from dawn to dusk. His mother would stand on the porch and blow a whistle and Billy would yell, “I’m a comin’’ as he ran home for dinner. He loved playing in the dirt with his friends and making dirt hills for his toy trucks to race around. Loved making mud ramps for his trucks on the curbs when the Fire Dept would spray down the driveway and water would come rushing down the curbs.
Billy was a typical little brother, he would chase his sister, Carolyn Beams, around the yard with live grasshoppers and she would scream, “get away from me with those things!” He would recall having to wash dishes by hand or do the drying with Carolyn and he would bug her so bad that she would tell him to just go.
Billy would also go to the “old folks” houses to have Sabbath dinner. Bill’s grandfather and aunt Tillie lived above the store. Bill remembered going up the flight of stairs with all the squeaky steps. Other times they went to his grandfather Kuehl’s house on Bancroft street. Bill fondly remembered swinging in between his parents as they held his hands and he would run and jump then swing backwards and start the run again.
As many families did back in the day, the children assisted in the family business, Billy was no different. Billy would get up early and drive to Omaha to get fresh produce with his father. Billy and his father often stopped for cinnamon rolls at the local bakery on the way back. That is where he got his love for cinnamon rolls. Billy would also stocked the shelves, bagged groceries and did inventory for the store as he got older.
Bill went to College View Academy his Freshman year, Platte Valley Academy his Sophomore and Junior years and then spent his Senior year at Enterprise Academy in Kansas. He would say how he loved his years in the dorms with his friends from all over. He mentioned the time he and his friends snuck out and the Dean caught them and the Dean yelled, “Hey you guys, what are you guys doing!” Of course they ran and got into their dorm rooms. That scared Bill so bad that he could have disappointed his parents, he never did that again. His parents would come and see him and would pick him up for breaks and he enjoyed the time he spent driving with his folks back and forth from school to home.
After high school, Bill moved back home and went to Union College. He got himself a 1965 Barracuda. He drove that car all over Union College that when he went to trade it in, the local car dealers would not give him anything for it. He did manage to sell it to a dealer out in Seward, eventually. Bill’s love for cars was great, every chance he got he would go to car shows and car museums.
In College, Bill met and married Bettina Strickland after college graduation in June of 1968. The two moved to Champaign, Illinois and taught school for 2 years. While teaching Bill owned a 1969 Camaro blue with a white stripe. He taught 8-9 grade English and he only had 4 students. On one snowy day he took his students out in the Camaro and did doughnuts in the parking lot just like any cool teacher would do. BIll and Bettina moved back to Lincoln and Bill started working for the store again. The two bought a house on 54th Prescott Ave.
Bill did deliveries for the store and would take food out to Churches throughout Nebraska and Kansas. Bill talked his father into investing in him and became a Health Food Wholesale. Bill and his father found land out on 7th street, at the time, in the middle of nowhere. They poured the foundation and put up metal walls. Bill drove a truck and would go out every week and be home by the weekend. He would make a full truck load going out. Then trip lease and bring another full load to somewhere along the way back home, so he didn’t haul an empty trailer. His parents closed the grocery store down in 1976 when Bill opened Kuehl’s Midwest Distributors. Bill remembered the other grocery store in town didn’t like having to buy Worthington food from their competitor.
In 1975 Bill’s first son Jay was born, then his second son Brandon came 3 years later. Bill was still truck driving but was a very involved and dedicated father. When Jay got older, he would travel with Bill from time to time. Jay learned to read a map quickly while riding with dad! Bill always talked about the time Jay went with him on a camp meeting delivery in Wyoming. He asked Jay how far it was to the border of Wyoming and Jay said “when the road turns red, you will be there.” After a few miles the road actually turned red! Jay and Bill looked at each other and Jay looked at the map and looked at the road and they both started laughing.
Bill loved traveling and visiting museums with his family every year. One year, he took Brandon on a father-son canoe trip with the Church when Brandon was in the 8th grade. Bill did most of the work but had fun spending time with his son. They both figured out that camping wasn’t for either of them. Another notable trip when Brandon was about 9 years old Bill took him on a Goldwing run. They were taking off from fueling, when Brandon started beating on Bill’s back. Bill turned to see Brandon’s blonde hair blowing straight back because Brandon’s helmet was not strapped on before they took off and the helmet fell off.
Bill loved to buy model rockets and build them, then he would shoot them off with the boys. He also got them a go-cart that Brandon, about 12 years old, had lost control and ran Bill over before crashing to a stop in the neighboring building.
Bill and Bettina were divorced in 1992 and Bill moved into his own place. Jay was at Platte Valley Academy and Brandon was still at Helen Hyatt. Bill got custody of the boys. Bill moved into a house on 38th and Lake Street. This is where he met his present wife, Jacque. She lived across the street with her 3 kids and her dog Blackie. Bill, being an animal lover all his life, had a dog named King. Bill left King in the yard while he left for the movies. King got out of the fence and was chasing cars. Jacque saw this and got King to come over and play with her dog Blackie, to keep King from getting run over. The two dogs played so hard that by the time Bill got back from the movies, the two dogs were pooped out. Both dogs hurt the next day from playing so hard the day before. The dogs fell in love with each other and Jacque and Bill had to get married to keep the dogs together.
In 1995 Jacque and Bill married in the Sunken Gardens, a hot July day. Bill became the father to Rachel , Ryan and Riva that day. He was a dedicated father to all five of his kids. He felt education was highly important and sent his kids to SDA schools for a good education, and involved them and his nieces and nephews in church as often as possible.
Bill asked for strange Adventist foods that first year of marriage to Jacque. Things like haystacks, special K loaf, and creamed eggs on toast. Jacque got recipes from the ladies at Northside Church. Easter, creamed eggs on toast, Thanksgiving and Christmas, Special K loaf and haystack when we got everyone together or just had guests over. They are still our family’s favorites!
The first year of marriage, Bill opened the refrigerator door to find jelly on the outside of the jelly jar. He was not happy and sent all three kids to their rooms until someone confessed. When Rachel tried to confess, he told her it was not her and sent her back to her room, then Ryan convinced Riva to admit to it and promised her $5. Once she confessed, Rachel and Ryan got out and Ryan never paid her. Once Jacque got home from work and heard this and they decided from then on, Bill would wait for Jacque to get home for these kinds of things.
Though Bill was not driving a truck anymore, he still loved to travel. He took family vacations every year, visiting and revisiting museums and amusement parks. Every time Bill would take the family to church in another state, he would say “I will not know anyone here”. The moment we walked in the door at least one person would call out “Hey Billy!” His two girls loved to travel with him and yes, the passenger had to learn to read a map quickly! The most famous trip with his girls was the time they were traveling back from a camp meeting in Kansas and a bird came out of nowhere and hit the van windshield while the girls were sleeping. The girls woke up and asked, “what was that dad?” Bill said “I don’t know I was napping.” Well needless to say the girls did not sleep the rest of the trip home!
In 2002 Bill retired and moved with Jacque, Rachel, Ryan and Riva to Arizona. He built a house and continued to travel. His favorite travels were with his wife doing motorcycle or corvette runs with the clubs to places like the Grand Canyon. On one of those trips, they were staying the night at the Grand Canyon and Bill made reservations late so all he could get was a cabin. Once the group saw the amazing cabin, the other women were telling their husbands that Bill loved his wife more because he got her a cabin when they got an old motel style room with paper thin walls with loud drunken guests next door.
All the kids graduated high school and moved on with their lives. Jay works in the shipping Dept of Headwind consumer Products and is married to Carole and their child is Eden, Brandon got a degree at DeVry of Arizona and moved back to Omaha to pursue his career. He also raised his two stepchildren Catherine and Preston. Rachel is a Teacher and is married to Owen, their children are Autumn, Devin and Serenity. Ryan is single and is self employed in construction. Riva is a Manager of Amigo’s restaurant and is married to Aaron and their children are Ivory, Jocelynn, Vyvyan and Willie.
Bill drove back and forth from Arizona to Nebraska to help with the business he created and then sold it in 2012. This was when he became a full-time Papa and fully embraced spending time with his ten grandkids! Bill loved to take the grandkids to the “North Pole” (Williams AZ) to ride the train to see santa. Bill enjoyed seeing his kids/grandkids have a good time. One time at Church, his grandchild Autumn, busting into Bill’s bible class breathing hard. She looked at Papa with wide eyes and loudly said, “Papa! I need a dollar for the offering!” From that point on, Bill’s bible study members would make sure he gave the offering to his grandkids in the car.
The family values the time they spent with Bill, especially his love for restaurants! When traveling, he would find the best “ma and pop” restaurants to eat at and invite everyone to join him. If he was visiting Lincoln, he would invite the family to Stauffers for breakfast, Valentinos for lunch, and Goodrich Dairy/Colby Ridge for Dessert and popcorn. In Arizona he loved to eat at Ihop and Village Inn. He would have his pie first, because life was uncertain!
Family members include his wife, Jacque; children Jay and Brandon Kuehl, Rachel Culver, Ryan Jacobsen, and Riva Knutson and ten grandchildren.
Preceded in death by his parents and sister Carolyn Beams.
Memorial service: 3:00 p.m. Sunday (6-5-22) College View Seventh-day Adventist Church in Heritage Hall, 4801 Prescott Ave. Livestream available ten minutes prior to service at roperandsons.com/livestream.
Memorials to Union College.