William “Bill” S. Wallesen, age 80, of Dalton, NE passed away peacefully on Friday, October 8, 2021 at Sidney Regional Memorial Hospital. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 A.M. Friday, October 15, 2021 at the United Church of The Plains in Dalton, NE. with Pastor Chad Rademacher officiating. Burial will follow at the Bayard Cemetery in Bayard, NE. Services will be recorded and available on our website for viewing. Visitation will be at the Gehrig-Stitt Chapel in Sidney on Thursday from 1-6:00 P.M. with family present from 4-6:00 P.M. Memorial donations in memory of Bill Wallesen may be made to the United Church of the Plains or the Dalton Fire Department.
You may view Bill’s Book of Memories, leave condolences, photos and stories at www.gehrigstittchapel.com.
Gehrig-Stitt Chapel & Cremation Service, LLC is in charge of Bill’s care and funeral arrangements.
Bill was born to Howard & May (Hill) Wallesen on February 1, 1941, in Bayard, NE. He attended a country school for a few years and then attended Bayard High School where he graduated in 1958.
He married JoDee Kaasch in 1959 and in this union three sons were born, Kirk, Mike, and Pat. They lived in Kimball for a few years and he ran a filling station with his brother George. They then moved to Gering where they bought a grain elevator. Bill sold the elevator in 1984 and decided to start his own urethane foam roofing business which he later moved, with his family, to Scottsdale, AZ. While in Arizona, he and JoDee divorced.
Bill moved back to Nebraska in 1987 and moved to Dalton in September 1987 to manage the Dalton elevator until the merger that became Crossroads Cooperative, where he worked as a grain merchandiser. Bill met the love of his life, Sheryl (Brestel) Harvey in Dalton and they got married on August 26, 1989. They bought their own grain elevator in October 1992 in Lewellen, NE and had their business for twenty-two years. Also, during this time, he farmed and raised sheep. He was forced to sell the elevator in Lewellen and retire after suffering from a stroke in 2012. Bill loved his work and their customers at the elevator and despised retirement because he was always a very hard worker.
He enjoyed fishing & hunting in his younger days. He also enjoyed farming, gardening, remodeling and fixing things, watching westerns on TV, attending his grandkids many activities that they were in, especially sports, traveling to Las Vegas and Deadwood, attending Nebraska football games, and sitting on the porch swing with his little dog Lilly. He had a witty sense of humor and could tell you lots of jokes and stories.
He is survived by his wife Sheryl of Dalton, his sons Kirk and wife Clorinda of Scottsdale, AZ, Mike and wife Patrice of Dallas, TX, Pat and wife Denise of Corpus Christi, TX. Step sons Tom Harvey of Dalton, NE, and Mike Harvey and wife Jodi of Sidney, NE. Five grandsons, Reggie Wallesen of Corpus Christi, Mikel Wallesen and wife Jandi from Scottsdale, AZ, Will Wallesen and fiance Kaylee of Tabernash, CO, step grandsons Collin Harvey and wife Kassidy of Bridgeport, NE, and Lane Harvey of Topeka, KS. Five granddaughters, Hannah and husband Nick Enriquez of Phoenix, AZ, McCaul Wallesen of Scottsdale, AZ, McKensie Wallesen of Albuquerque, NM, Micha Wallesen of Washington D.C., and step granddaughter Grace and husband Cole Wyatt of Harrisburg, NE, and six great grandchildren, Niiva Steyl, Walker Wallesen, Jaylynn Kildow Harvey, Lilah Harvey, Asher Wyatt, Dru Wyatt, and another due in April. Also, his precious dog Lilly.
He was preceded in death by his parents, his sister Paula Gordon, and brothers George and Wally Wallesen.