William "Bill" E Hiles.....Age 72

Visitation:  6-8PM Wednesday April 12, 2017 at Eddy-Birchard Funeral Home
Followed By Cremation
Memorial:  Olathe Hospice may be sent c/o Eddy-Birchard Funeral Home, P.O. Box 430 Osawatomie, KS 66064
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William “Bill” Hiles, age 72, passed away Sunday, April 9, 2017 at his home in Paola, Kansas.

Bill was born December 13, 1944 in Lane, Kansas, the son of Arthur “Pete” Hiles and Carolee Stevenson Hiles.  He grew up in rural Franklin County, KS, and went to school in Lane where he graduated high school in 1962.  Bill worked for the Santa Fe Railroad after high school before getting a job at Associated Wholesale Grocers where he worked for 31 years.  He retired from AWG in 1996.  During retirement, he worked for Miami County where he would mow roadway grass through the county.  Bill finally stopped working in 2010.

On August 7, 1971 William married Linda Newberry Hiles in Miami, Oklahoma.  They made their home in Paola, Kansas where they would raise their family.

When Bill wasn’t working, he farmed his land, tended to his garden and enjoyed fishing.  William and Linda loved to travel, whether it was a plane, ship, bus or camper they enjoyed seeing other parts of the United States.  Together they took numerous cruises through the Bahamas, Caribbean and Mexico through the Panama Canal and to Alaska.  To celebrate their official retirement, they spent 2 weeks island hopping through the Hawaiian Islands.  They took bus tours through the Northeast part of the country and took their camper at various Kansas and Missouri lakes, enjoying spending time with their granddaughters.

If there was one thing Bill enjoyed more than catching a bass or crappie, it was his two granddaughters.  He made a point to attend all their activities and support them in any way possible.

During his last year, as he battled with ALS, Bill was still making an impression on everyone he met.  Numerous nurses, therapists, and health care professionals grew very fond of him.  Whether it was baking him a pie or bringing him some homemade jelly on their days off, these people began to think of him as family.

Bill was preceded in death by:  his parents Arthur and Carolee Hiles and son Brian Koontz.

Survivors include:  his wife, Linda Hiles, Paola, KS, son Daniel (Delia) Koontz, Osawatomie, KS, daughter Ginger (Daryl) Hughes, Paola, KS, granddaughters Skyler and Ashton Hughes, Paola, KS, great-granddaughter Cheyenne Harris, Humboldt, KS, sister Barbara (Larry) James, Olathe, KS, nephews Andrew (Shelly) James, Osawatomie, KS, Matthew (Jennifer) James, San Diego, CA, cousins Donald Waddle, Osawatomie, KS, and Paula (Jerry) Neale, Grandview, MO.