William "Bill" K. Woolery

William “Bill” K. Woolery of Wichita, KS, passed away Monday, June 15, 2015. He was 88. He was born on Thursday, February 10, 1927, to Ira and Hazel (Willis) Woolery in Newton, KS. William was the fifth of six siblings. During his high school years, he was committed to being a multi-sport athlete, playing the trombone, and ultimately being elected Senior Class President. Once out of high school he served in the U.S. Army, at the tail end of WWII. Following the end of the war, William returned home to Newton and would meet the love of his life, Janice Blickenstaff, at the soda fountain counter in the local drug store where she was working. Using his GI bill, he headed to the Little Apple. Uncommitted to a specific discipline, he applied an unconventional approach to choosing a career path by disregarding his advisor’s recommendation, electing to study the “most difficult engineering curriculum “ they offered. William earned a BS in Electrical Engineering from Kansas State University. Later earning his Professional Engineering (PE) license. Within 2 weeks of receiving his degree, William and Janice were married on Sunday, August 19, 1951. They would spend 63 years together and raise two children. A daughter, Suzanne, and a son, William. They left Kansas where William would pursue a brief stint with the Corp of Engineers in Little Rock, AR, before landing in Wichita, KS where he would begin his long career at Kansas Gas & Electric. His combination of communication skills, analytical abilities, integrity, and business acme served him well, propelling him into several executive roles within the company before retiring. During the summers, life was about baseball. William loved coaching his son’s little league baseball team in the early days of West Urban. He looked forward to the long grueling seasons and hard-fought matchups against rivals. When his coaching career came to a close, he had walked away with multiple league championships. William enjoyed traveling with his wife, the daily crossword, a good cup of coffee, lending a helping hand, cribbage, playing cards, hunting, telling jokes, shooting the breeze, dancing, watching the Kansas storms roll in, and everything K-State, especially football. Survived by his wife; Janice (Blickenstaff) Woolery; daughter, Suzanne Sloan (John) of Wichita, KS; son, William “Bill” L. Woolery (Diedra) of Clearwater, KS; grandchildren, Cameron, Taryn, Loni, Connie; and many great-grandchildren; brother, Jack Woolery (Ruth). He is preceded in death by his parents, Ira and Hazel (Willis) Woolery; brothers, Robert “Phil” Woolery, Lorin “Baldy” Woolery; sisters, Ethel Woolery, Ruth “Ilene” (Woolery) Overstreet; and his beloved Schnauzer, Sax. A Celebration of William’s life will be held at a later date. A Memorial has been established with: American Lung Association. Services in care of Downing & Lahey Mortuary-West Chapel.