William F. Mausser, Jr.

July 29, 1946 – May 21, 2024, U.S. Military Veteran

by Melanie S. Mausser-Shaluly

William F. "Bill" Mausser Jr., 77, of rural Epworth, Iowa, entered the eternal kingdom of
God on May 21, 2024, surrounded by his family at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Visitation for Bill will be held from 2 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 29, 2024 at the Reiff
Funeral Home in Epworth, Iowa, with a wake service at 7 p.m. Visitation will also be held after
9 a.m. on Thursday, May 30, 2024 at the funeral home.
A funeral Mass for Bill is scheduled for 10:30 a.m., on Thursday, May 30, 2024 at St.
Patrick Catholic Church in Epworth, Iowa with Rev. Michael Schueller presiding. Assisting
Deacon will be Nick Elliott. Burial for Bill will be held in Highview Cemetery in Epworth with
full Military Honors afforded by the Epworth John White American Legion Post #650 and the
Centralia Am-Vets Post #13.

2
Bill was born to William G. and Margaret (Kremer) Mausser in Monticello on July 29,
1946. As a child and teenager growing up in Epworth, he attended St. Patrick Catholic School
and Western Dubuque High School, where he played baseball as a catcher for the Bobcats and
participated in the Western Dubuque Marching Band as a trumpeter. He also enjoyed hunting,
fishing, and horseback riding. His parents would sometimes take his younger siblings, Ronnie
and Barbie to Dubuque to shop, run errands or sometimes to see a Gene Autry movie while Bill
(or "Billy" as he was known to his family) stayed home and watched Bonnie, his baby sister. As
a token of appreciation, his mother would usually bring back something special for him, maybe
even his favorite, a model airplane or ship.
After graduating from high school, Bill attended one semester at a Catholic seminary in
Boston, Massachusetts before returning to Iowa. He enrolled at Loras College in Dubuque and
majored in History and Education while working part-time for his father's business, the Epworth
Locker Plant.
In 1967, during the Vietnam War, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves and, like many
from the Tri-State area, completed basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. His career in
the Reserves spanned twenty-seven years. During this time, he also served in the Iowa National
Guard and United States Naval Reserve. In November of 1994, during a ceremony at the
Dubuque Naval Reserve Center to honor him, Bill retired as a Storekeeper Chief Petty Officer
First Class. His military career took him many places throughout the United States as well as to
England and the Philippines. He was a fifty-year member of the Epworth American Legion John
White Post, #650 where he served as Legion Adjutant for the thirteen years before his death. In
his most recent post as Chaplain, he presented countless Tri-State families with the United States
flag at military funerals. In his stunning Navy dress uniform, Bill was a familiar figure at local
parades as he marched and called cadence for the color guard.
In 1970, Bill graduated college and began his professional career as a purchasing agent at
John Deere Dubuque Works. It was during this time he met his wife of fifty-three years, Betty
Ann (Stoffel) Mausser after being invited to a party at Betty's parents' house by her brother,
Jerry. Bill was smitten with Betty's blonde curls and hazel green eyes. She was living in Iowa
City at the time and Bill wouldn't have to think twice about making the drive just to see her.
They were married at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Epworth on November 6, 1971, and
purchased an idyllic rural property just north of Epworth in an area known as Kidder Valley. It
was here they raised their two daughters, Jolene (Craig Jackson) Mausser of Epworth, IA and
Melanie (Richard Shaluly) Mausser-Shaluly of Clemson, SC. Bill was also the grandfather of
Jolene's son, Brody William Jackson.
Bill was a devoted husband to Betty, and he taught his daughters to be courageous,
daring, generous, kind, independent and to never give up. The best thing Bill taught all three of
his "girls" was to believe in Jesus Christ and have a personal relationship with Him. To his son
in-laws, he was an example of a protective, Godly husband and father. He showered his
grandson with affection and relished spending time with him, especially if it meant cruising with
him in one of his classic cars to get ice cream at Delaney's in Farley or to have breakfast at
Rosie's Café in Epworth.
To say Bill lived his life to the fullest is an understatement. He wasn't one for staying at
home, as evidenced by the many hobbies he enjoyed and his leadership in civic and church
activities. As a result of his active lifestyle and cheerful demeanor, Bill made friends wherever
he went.

3
A life-long fan of anything that ran with an engine, he had an active interest in airplanes,
antique tractors, automobiles and trains. As one of his friends said of Bill, "If it had wheels or
wings, he loved to be involved with it."
He grew up flying with his dad and his uncle, Jerry Pasker, in small private airplanes out
of the Monticello airport and a patch of airfield just west of Epworth. When his older sister Joan
bought a hot air balloon, he served as crew chief. This beautiful pink, purple and yellow balloon
known as "Tinkerbell" could often be seen floating over Epworth on early weekend mornings in
the early 1980s. During this time, he was also a member of the Dubuque Chapter of the
Experimental Aircraft Association and in the late 1980s, along with his daughters, he joined the
Civil Air Patrol (C.A.P.) U.S. Air Force Auxiliary. With Bill's initiative, the Dubuque
Composite Squadron, which had been formed in 1942 and defunct since 1983, was revived and
he served as commander of that squadron as well as Iowa Wing Safety officer. He flew many
search and rescue missions as an observer for the C.A.P. and earned the rank of Lieutenant
Colonel. Throughout his lifetime, Bill nurtured his youthful spirit and his fascination for flight
by operating radio-controlled airplanes and building model airplanes.
Like many men of his generation, Bill also had a passion for GM muscle cars. He owned
a series of automobiles, like his 1969 Chevelle Malibu and a 1989 white Pontiac Firebird. These
rides turned heads and made his daughters' high school boyfriends jealous. He could be seen
rolling through town both on his own and with his buddies from the Dyersville Flashback Car
Club. Most of the time he drove expertly, but every now and then he would channel his inner
stunt driver. He is probably the only man to ever to try to jump a snowplow pile in a Chevette.
His love for automobiles led to his developing quite a talent and skill for building engines. Many
of these engines were in stock cars that won season championships at the Dubuque County and
Farley Speedways. Bill was well-known in the pits where he often stayed long after the races
ended touting the nuances of a Chevy small-block. Though he retired from John Deere in 2001,
he couldn't sit still for long and began working part-time in automobile-related jobs, most
recently at NAPA Auto Parts in Dyersville. Just weeks before his health declined, Bill finally
purchased his ultimate dream car – a red Corvette convertible.
Bill was a true historian and a lifelong learner who never stopped pursuing and imparting
his knowledge. This love of history led to many escapades. He spent hours reading railroad
history books and would often drive out into the country to find evidence of the short rail lines
that had once run through the area at a time when train travel was more common. As a member
of Monticello Model Railroad club, he performed specific technical tasks such as creating
numerous HO and N layouts which were displayed publicly. When Bill purchased two antique
tractors, he, his brother Ronnie, cousins L. J. and Tom Schemmel and their families, set out with
a pioneer spirit to explore new towns and rural highways as they participated in annual WMT
600 Great Eastern Iowa Tractorcades. A talented writer and member of the Epworth Historical
Society, Bill helped research and author the original Epworth History (known as "the little red
book) and wrote several columns for the Epworth Voice of Progress about his memories of
growing up in his hometown. Bill's fondness for World War II military history was most likely
inspired by listening to the stories his uncles, Henry and Joe Mausser, and Nick Kremer, would
tell about their time as active servicemen in the early 1940s.
Bill was known to listen to a late-summer White Sox game on AM radio as he was
working on cars in the yard. Of course, he was never a major leaguer, but he did play catcher on
the Epworth men's softball team and an over-50 slow pitch team in Zwingle. His former
teammates recalled that he was a solid catcher who really knew how to protect home plate like a

4
"brick-house." Even after he stopped playing, they would frequently get together to reminisce
past victories with "Big League" spirit.
Bill was a familiar face to many in Epworth because he would wheel by the Quick'N
Handi or Silker's General Store for a pop and a candy bar and could easily end up spending an
hour shooting the bull with whoever happened to be in the store.
Music was one of Bill's greatest enjoyments and many who rode in his classic cars with
him were surprised to hear, not rock n roll like one might expect, but Glenn Miller and Tommy
Dorsey. During frigid Iowa winters, he might actually stay home on a Saturday night to watch a
Lawrence Welk Show rerun on Iowa Public Television, much to the amusement of his family.
Perhaps one of Bill's proudest achievements was relearning how to play the trumpet after a
nearly fifty-year hiatus. His brassy tone could often be heard throughout Kidder Valley as he
practiced his favorite songs like "Singin in the Rain" and "Moon River" from the back deck. He
had great comradery with his fellow musicians in Dubuque's New Horizon Band and used his
talents as a trumpet player to honor deceased veterans by playing Taps at their gravesite services.
In the spring of 1985, Bill became a born-again Christian, fully giving his life to Christ.
As a lifelong member of St. Patrick Catholic Church in Epworth, he served the church as a lector
and sang in the choir. On Thursday nights, Bill participated in a local Bible study group. He and
Betty hosted prayer meetings for Impact Ministries International to help raise money for an
orphanage in Honduras. Throughout his lifetime, Bill was a spiritual father to many. He and
Betty would open their home to young people who needed a temporary place to stay, and he
never hesitated to offer guidance and encouragement to those who were lost and in need.
Bill told great stories and had a deep, infectious laugh. He loved cheeseburgers, potato
chips, Pepsi, and Snickers. Cats were his favorite animal, and he watched many an episode of
the "The Rifleman" with his fluffy black and white mouse-catcher, T.C., curled asleep in his lap.
On the other hand, like his Germanic ancestors and his football hero Johnny Unitas of the
Baltimore Colts, Bill was tough. In fact, he was so tough he wouldn't take Novocain when he
had dental work performed.
A romantic at heart, Bill saw beauty in everything and everyone. He believed in hard
work, gave gentle criticism, wouldn't hold a grudge, and wouldn't take credit for work he didn't
do. As his father had taught him, he made hay while the sun was shining and tried to always do
things right the first time.
On the evening of April 6, 2024, Bill was proudly dressed in his Navy uniform and had
just arrived at his annual retired Navy Chiefs party when he collapsed due to cardiac arrest. He
survived this arrest, which allowed him to offer his family the greatest gift they could ever ask
for when he looked at them with his beautiful blue eyes and said, "I saw Jesus. He sent me back
to save souls." Though Bill ultimately succumbed to his battle after forty-five days of fighting,
he persevered in the face of insurmountable odds and brought many to prayer to make it be
known that God is real and that one day, we all can meet Him. Bill Mausser Jr.'s life journey is
one of adventure, love, passion, faithfulness and strength.
He served his country.
He served his community.
He served his family.
Most importantly . . . he served God.

In addition to his two daughters and their families, his family included siblings Ronald
(Susan) Mausser of Oelwein, IA, Barbara (Gerald) Feldmann of Epworth, IA and Bonnie
Mausser (Andy Hollenback) of Epworth, IA; Dr. Joan Nickol of Cedar Rapids, IA and a sister-
in-law, Rosemary Nickol of Dyersville, IA. He was a brother-in-law to Karen Stoffel of
Dubuque, IA, Marilyn (Dan) Mason of Rainy River, Canada, Darlene Meyer of Cascade, IA,
Margie (Mike) Kane of Epworth, IA, Rick Stoffel of Bankston, IA and Kevin Stoffel of
Louisville, CO.
He is preceded in death by his parents; Betty's parents Francis (Rex) and Gertrude
Stoffel; a brother, Marvin (Arlene) Nickol; brothers-in-law, Don Tauke, Gerald Stoffel, and
Dennis Meyer.
The Mausser family would like to thank the two anonymous nurses who initially
performed CPR on Bill, as well as the East Dubuque Fire & Rescue Corp, the Unity Point Finley
Hospital Emergency Department and the St. Luke's-Cedar Rapids Cardiac ICU medical staff
and care team workers. Thank you for giving our husband and father such skilled and
compassionate care.