William "Bill" Hubert

February 12, 1940 ~ June 18, 2023
Bill Hubert eased gently away from his family and friends at the Center at the Waterfront on June 18, 2023. Bill’s son, Keil Hubert of Bedford,TX, daughter, Katelyn “Kate” Hubert Walsh of Olympia, WA, wife Barbara, brother-in-law, Fred Lichtenfelt, and three of his many BAVX daughters were by his side.
The son of Harold V. “Sie” and T. Almeda Hubert, Bill was born at home in Greensburg, KS, as was his brother Richard two years later. The only difficulty marring what Bill regarded as an idyllic childhood was the family’s having to uproot frequently as his dad was promoted in his work. The young family’s moves took them from KS, to MO, to IL, and ultimately, to MI, necessitating the boys’ enrollment in seven different school systems over the years. Bill graduated from high school in Plymouth, MI, where he excelled in journalism and in basketball. He attended Central Michigan University on a basketball scholarship, after which he served in the U.S. Army as a medic with the 1st Armored Division in Berlin from 1961 to 1963. After service, he returned to CMU, where he taught in the English Department as a graduate assistant. Bill and Barbara met at Central and after her senior year, they married in her hometown of Armada, MI, on June 12, 1966.
In 1968, Bill and Barb moved to Ann Arbor so that Bill could complete his graduate work at the University of Michigan. On the heels of winning the Hopwood Award for Fiction Writing at U of M in 1969, Bill accepted a teaching position in the English Department at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. On October 25, 1969, son Keil was born. During their fifth and sixth years in Kalamazoo, convinced that he could make a greater impact on students’ educations if he switched from teaching at the college level to teaching students during their formative years, Bill enrolled as an undergrad again so that he could complete work to become certified as an elementary teacher.
In late summer of 1975, Bill and Barb accepted jobs in the Wichita Public Schools. On May 30, 1977, daughter Kate was born. For three decades, Bill enjoyed working with young people in Wichita, retiring in 2005, one year after Barb retired. In the 1990s, Bill became determined to find ways to help students who struggled with various issues, especially with reading. Bill’s search to help students overcome their difficulties led to his originating a program he named Bal-A-Vis-X for Balance, Auditory, and Vision Exercises. Now, often shortened as BAVX, for the past 20 years, Bill has trained teachers, paras, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and others how to incorporate the therapeutic exercises when they work with people of all ages.
Bill was predeceased by his parents and brother, by his sister-in-law, Diane Lichtenfelt of Armada, MI, and his brother-in-law, Richard Lichtenfelt of Covington, LA. He leaves to cherish his memory, Barbara; Keil Hubert (Theresa) and grandchildren, Morgan and Austin of Bedford, TX; Kate Hubert Walsh (Emily) and grandchildren, Onyx and Henry Walsh of Olympia, WA; brothers-in-law, Fred Lichtenfelt (Chris) of Wichita and Steve Lichtenfelt of Armada, MI; sister-in-law, Mary Lichtenfelt of Hemlock, MI; and numerous nieces and nephews.
A celebration of Bill’s life will begin at 1:00 pm, Friday, July 21, in Room 180 of the Wichita State University Metroplex, 5015 East 29th Street North in Wichita. The family prefers that guests dress in casual wear. Following the program, refreshments will be served. The family asks those wishing to honor Bill’s memory to consider donating to one of the Assistance League of Wichita’s philanthropic programs (Operation School Bell, Scholarships, Assault Survivor Kits, or Bear Hugs); to Watermark Books and Café’s Authors in Schools program; or to the Kansas Food Bank. See the obituary in the Downing and Lahey Mortuary website for more information for the memorials. “He who obtains has little.He who scatters has much.”
Thank you Bill. I appreciate all that we learned from you. And I am thankful for all of your family and team who supported you to travel and teach. Bill, your devotion to learning, to truth, to innovation, to curiosity, to paying attention, and to being of service is remarkable in its consistency and power, and a shining example to us all. None of us can ever say thank you enough for all the ways you have touched our lives and made them better. Blessings and peace. Sonia
I am devastated by his passing! I still remember him slapping me on the back when I got something right with my patterns or identifying something that needed to be “tweaked” when helping with the trainings. His concern for my son and efforts to bring Bal-A-Vis-X into the prison will always make me grateful for being able to truly call him a friend. I will miss him so much! Barb – our thoughts and prayers are with you as you go though this challenge.
Jerry Nickell
Eastern Oregon
Dear, dear Bill
Your calm presence stays with me,
free as your laugh,
unlimited as your mind,
wise and loving,
as you were by nature.
You’re by my side, dear friend.
Caroline
Rest William, aka “Bill”, until you hear at dawn, the low, clear reveille of God. Thank you for your service to this nation. U.S. Army.
Easily the best teacher and guider I have ever known. So sad.
I first met Bill at a summer workshop where he was first getting the word out about BAVX. I immediately understood exactly what it was and why he was reaching so many. I lived in Medicine Lodge and had the team down for 2 workshops after that summer and attended so many others he finally told me to just come whenever I was near a training session. Life took many turns and I lost contact with him and the program for awhile. I recently moved to Derby and reached out to Bill for information for my grandson. He emailed back and said “Hey, after you get settled let’s have coffee!” I wanted to reach out to him this summer. Wish I would have had coffee with him one last time. What an inspiration and motivating man he was. Blessing to his family.
In 2018, when I traveled from India to attend the Bal a Viz x course where I had the privilege of meeting Bill, the founder. Since that moment, I longed to bring him to India, so parents and therapists could learn directly from him. When we met, he playfully called me “a stubborn lady,” to which I responded with affection, “not as stubborn as you.”
The news of his passing was a profound shock, not only to me but am sure to countless others worldwide who deeply loved and respected him. As we bid farewell, I send him my best wishes for the journey ahead. His legacy will forever live on through the lives he touched and the knowledge he shared.
May we continue to honor his memory by embodying the same passion, dedication, and love he poured into his work.