William (Bill) James Betz was a remarkable man of many talents. He was an accountant, a pilot, a teacher, a golfer, a rum and scotch enthusiast, a grammar editor, a soccer coach, a sailboat captain, a bar owner, a lover of road trips, a European tour guide, an investor, a math tutor, an art aficionado, a thunderstorm lover, an event planning and indoor fountain mastermind, a skier, a painter, and an avid reader. Ultimately though, he was a caring and supportive dad. The world lost a true Renaissance man to cancer in Omaha, Nebraska on May 5, 2021 at 5:55 pm, reflecting his laid back attitude that hey, “it’s 5 o’clock somewhere!”
William James Betz was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on September 11, 1946 to Jean Elizabeth (Hilty) Betz and Elmer Theodore (ET) Betz. He moved for a short time to St. Louis, Missouri before returning to Milwaukee for High School. While in High School, he participated in the school’s Science Club, Stamp and Coin Club, and Golf Club. He graduated from Marquette University High School in 1964.
Bill went on to the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. He chose the university because his mother wanted him to attend a Catholic school and Notre Dame was the only one he knew of, thanks to the Knute Rockne movie. He majored in Business Administration and was given the dubious position of social chairman. He was known to (intentionally) flood the campus buildings to create fountains for events (with no reported leaks!) He also proved that all you need for a good party is lots of beer. During the summers, he worked as a car frame inspector at the A.O. Smith Corp. plant his dad managed (though don’t blame him if your Ford broke down!) He graduated in June of 1969 and worked as a bartender until he joined the US Air Force in December of 1969.
Bill planned to become a fighter pilot, that was until he got into an argument during his training with a check pilot, while in the air. Suffice to say it was no surprise he was then sent to fly the less exciting B-52 (unfortunately, not the cocktail.) His attitude was to roll with the punches and if “you don’t like it, Tango Sierra.” Over the course of his military career, he flew 3,700 hours, rose to the ranks of Lieutenant Colonel, and received many honours including the Distinguished Flying Cross (one oak cluster). He was one of the best B-52 pilots and served many years as an instructor and instructor for the instructors. He wrote several flight manuals and enjoyed performing in air shows. During the later years in his career, he worked in the SAC headquarters building at Offutt Air Force Base in Bellevue, Nebraska. He left the service in November of 1991 after 22 years of service. While he joined the military because he knew he was going to be drafted, he ended up making it a career because he enjoyed it and “it didn’t feel like a job.”
While Bill enjoyed his work, he enjoyed his time off even more. He shared not only the airways but also the fairways with his colleagues. He gained an appreciation for golf from an early age and spent many hours golfing with his family, especially his dad. He also loved road trips, especially in his Datsun 240Z. He bought the car brand new right after his Air Force graduation in 1970 and it went wherever he was stationed all around the country. The 240Z survives to this day, despite briefly ending up in a half frozen lake after Bill thought it would make a great short cut home. One thing that he was most proud of was joining the 72 Ounce Steak Club at The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. He said that it was the last one available so it came from the display case and was the nicest steak he ever had! Bill also spent many vacations sailing in the Caribbean, which seems to be an excuse to sample a lot of rum. Even on his deathbed, he maintained that the Callwood Distillery in Tortola made the best rum, and as promised by Mr. Callwood himself, it never gave him a hangover!
After his retirement from the military, Bill spent his time as the owner and operator of the bar, 1892, in Council Bluffs, Iowa. He really enjoyed running the “Bookcase Bar” and was even an Eastern Nebraska Darts Association champion. But in 1995, his priorities shifted when he had a daughter, Emma. He devoted almost all of his time to ensure she was well taken care of and did not miss out on any opportunity. He especially loved that he was able to teach her many things, like how to read, and helped her when she struggled with math. He also served as her on-call paper editor, even when they were sent in the middle of the night, hours before they were due (so if you spot a grammatical error in this, it’s because he didn’t read it!) But he also enjoyed that he was able to bring her comfort whenever there was a thunderstorm (both physically and metaphorically!) in her life. He was very involved in Emma’s schools and activities. He served for many years as the Bellevue East Band Boosters Treasurer and one of his greatest honors was when he was awarded the Nebraska PTA Honorary State Award and PTA Honorary Life Membership Award from Wake Robin Elementary in 2007.
Bill really enjoyed continuing to travel after retirement. Some memorable trips with Emma were to Disney World, countless road trips to model horse conventions, and yearly trips to ski at Beaver Creek. He loved sharing with Emma the places that he had visited in Europe from his time in the military. Some of his favorite memories were going to countless museums, especially the Van Gogh museum, shopping in Maastricht, Disneyland Paris, Liege waffles, archaeological tours in Italy and Ireland, and sitting on the deck of a rented house boat in Amsterdam smoking his cigar as tourists took pictures of him. The road trip up to Vancouver, BC to drop Emma off at University was bittersweet but Bill repeated this journey at least once a year to visit, often only making one overnight stop to get Franz maple glazed donuts...unless there was a winter storm in which case, no stops! He also enjoyed a yearly golf outing with good friends, Ron and Ellen (though there seemed to be more drinking than golfing.) One of Bill’s most memorable trips was in 2018 when he visited his daughter in Oxford, UK where they shared many memories and laughed over pints at the many pubs. Since travel has been restricted over the past year, Bill and Emma decided to have a weekly virtual Happy Hour(s) and despite the distance, their relationship was the strongest it had ever been.
Bill was an only child and is preceded in death by his parents, Jean and Elmer Betz. He is survived by his daughter, Emma Jeanne Betz, and her spouse, Dylan James Lenaghan.
There was no funeral service but we ask that if you have any good memories with Bill that you pass them along and that you have a Happy Hour pint in his honor!
