Oesterling

William Leland “Bill” Oesterling, 73, passed away peacefully at his Trenton, Mo., home on Nov. 22.

Mr. Oesterling was born in Butler on July 17, 1938. He was the son of the late Leland Oesterling and Marcella Grabe Oesterling.

Bill was a 1956 graduate of Mars High School. He attended Capital University. In 1958 he enlisted in the U.S. Army, where he served as a recon scout in the First Cavalry until 1962.

He graduated from Slippery Rock University in 1965 and began his teaching career at the University of Missouri-Rolla. He received his master's degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

In 1970, he continued his teaching career at North Central Missouri College in Trenton, Mo., where he taught European and American history. He studied abroad at the University of Cambridge in England. After returning to that college, he served as the head of the history department and was an adviser to the student senate and Phi Theta Kappa. He retired in 2003 as professor emeritus.

Bill was a member of the Wesley United Methodist Church in Trenton, Mo., where he sang with the Wesley Singers and the Chancel Choir. He also sang in the Brothers of Song and served on a number of Wesley's committees. He was involved with community theater for several years in both Rolla and Trenton. Bill was an avid reader and seasoned traveler and he enjoyed nature, hunting and fishing. He was a member of the American Legion.

Bill is survived by his wife, Catherine King Oesterling, who he married Nov. 25, 1970; one daughter Martha Jane (Chris) West; two grandchildren, Stella Jane West and Cale Christopher West of Overland Park, Kan.; five sisters, Janice (Ken) Fry and Evelyn (Wayne) Cypher of Butler, Eleanor England of Orlando, Fla., Kay (George) Kuhn of Howell, Mich., and Karen Mulligan of Princeton, N.J.; two brothers, Charles (Martha) Oesterling of Butler, and Ronald Oesterling of East Lansing, Mich.; many nieces and nephews.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents; one brother, Keith L. Oesterling; and three sisters, Doris M. Oesterling, Lea Montag and Carol Greenawalt.

<B>OESTERLING</B> — A memorial service for William Leland “Bill” Oesterling, who died Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2011, will be held later at St Luke's Lutheran Church in Cabot.