Wendell M. Willard was born May 10, 1922 to Schouler and Bertha Dinkins Willard. He died June 5, 2006 and is buried in Riverside Cemetery, Marshalltown, IA.
Wendell served with the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II.
Obituary:
Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, June 9, 2006 at the chapel of the Pursel-Davis Funeral Home in Marshalltown. Burial with military honors will be held in the Riverside Cemetery, Marshalltown.
Visitation times are: 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. Thursday evening at the Pursel-Davis Funeral Home where the family will be present to greet friends. Memorial contributions may be directed to his family in his memory.
Wendell was born on May 10, 1922 on a farm west of Albion, IA the son of Schouler and Bertha (Dinkins) Willard. He graduated from the Albion High School in 1939. On July 25, 1943, he was united in marriage to Betty Jane Meads. On May 24, 1944, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps and served our nation during World War II. Wendell joined the Marshalltown Police Force on October 18, 1947. He later attended the FBI National Academy and graduated in 1957. He worked as the Chief of Detectives at the Marshalltown Police Department for 31 years before retiring in June 1978. After retirement, Wendell worked as a Jail Inspector for the State of Iowa for several years. He was a member of the First Friends Church; the Masonic Lodge; the American Legion; the National Rifle Association; the FBI National Academy Associates; the Chiefs of Police & Police Officers Association and the Marshalltown Policemen Association. Wendell will also be remembered as an active banjo player in the area.
Surviving is his wife, Betty of Webster City; two sons: Keith (Julie) Willard of Forrest City, CA and Daniel Willard (and his companion, Diane Powers) of Webster City; a sister, Ruth Thompson of Conrad; two brothers: Weldon Willard of Louisville, KY and Paul Willard of St. Paul, MN/ four grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. Preceding him in death were his parents; five brothers: Elwood, Elmer, Lloyd, Marvin and Carroll; and one sister who died in infancy.
Source: ancestry.com
