Bill Hudson

Billy (Bill) Paul Dean Hudson, a loving husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, coach, and friend of many, passed away on Friday, December 15, 2017.

A memorial service for Bill Hudson will be held on Saturday, January 6, 2018 at 10:30 AM at the United Methodist Church, 707 4^th Street Southwest in Britt, with Pastor Robert Dodge officiating. Burial will be held in Evergreen Cemetery in Britt.

Visitation for Bill Hudson will be held on Friday, January 5, 2018 from 4:00 until 6:00 PM at Ewing Funeral Chapel, 178 Center Street West in Britt, and will continue one hour prior to the service at the church on Saturday.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Britt United Methodist Church or Hospice of North Iowa.

Bill had a great sense of humor, was an avid sports fan, and was an encourager to everyone he knew.   He loved life, loved his family, and loved God.  Thank you, God, for sharing him with us; he was one in a million.

Bill was born in Horton Kansas on October 7, 1934 to George Herbert Hudson and Muriel Hannah (Carter) Hudson.  He entered the U.S. Navy after graduating from Horton High School in 1953.  He served aboard the USS Taylor DDE 468 for two years, ComServPac in Honolulu, HI for two years, and ComNavSta in Omaha, NE for two years.  While serving at ComNavSta in Omaha he met Sandra Kay Johnson.  They married on November 30, 1957 at the First Baptist Church in Horton, KS and enjoyed a wonderful life together for 60 years.

After his discharge from the navy, Bill attended and graduated from Peru Teacher’s College in Peru, NE.  Bill taught and coached for one year at Falls City Junior High in Falls City, NE and three years at Nebraska City Junior High in Nebraska City, NE.  He taught industrial arts, and coached boys varsity basketball, football, and boys and girls junior high basketball for two years in Irwin, IA.  Bill then served as a guidance counselor and girls’ basketball coach for two years in Exira, IA.  In 1971 Bill and Sandi moved to Britt, IA where he started the girls’ varsity basketball and softball programs and began his long career as a guidance counselor.  During his 26 years at Britt High School, he also coached volleyball, served as Athletic Director, and had two girls HS basketball teams qualify for the State Tournament, with the 1980 team winning the 2A State Championship.  In the late 1980’s Bill attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha where he earned a Master’s in Guidance and Specialist in K-12 Counseling.  Bill retired from Britt HS in 1997 after 37 years as an educator and coach.  He will be inducted into the Iowa Coaches Hall of Fame in March 2018.

Bill cherished time with family, friends and people in his community.  Throughout his adult life, Bill looked forward to the annual Hudson reunions with his siblings and their families.   Bill and Sandi made many trips to Omaha each year to visit Sandi’s family with whom he was close.   In retirement, Bill and Sandi enjoyed volunteering with Meals on Wheels in Iowa and Texas and were very active in Britt United Methodist Church.  Bill served on many church boards and volunteered at every opportunity.  A few years after retiring Bill and Sandi delivered Winnebago motor homes to dealerships, most frequently to Texas.  In 2000, Bill and Sandi began spending the winters in their second home at Leisure World in Weslaco, TX, along with several of their friends from Britt.  In addition to escaping the Iowa winter, it put them closer to their Texas family and visited them often.

In Texas, Bill enjoyed shuffle boarding, walking, riding his bike, reading his devotional on the porch, and following his grandchildren’s many activities.  Bill looked forward to his grandchildren’s visits during spring break every year.  He was his grandchildren’s biggest fan.  He followed Andrew’s junior and college golf events with a passion, recording his stats in a spreadsheet, encouraging him at all times, and followed him on the course whenever he could, including in freezing rain on a central Texas hilly course just four years ago.  Bill never missed an opportunity to see one of Kaylea’s ballet performances and enjoyed their in-depth conversations on the Bible, their shared faith, and their walk with God.

Bill is survived by his wife Sandi Hudson; two sons, Michael Hudson, and wife Teresa of Kanawha, IA, and Mark Hudson, and wife Pam of Fort Worth, TX; grandchildren, April Smith of Hoopeston, IL, Andrew Hudson and Kaylea Hudson of Fort Worth, TX, Bryant Newby of Kanawha, Kyra Newby of Denver, CO, Cynthia Ballard of Essex, and Alisa Newby of Nora Springs; nine great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.   He is also survived by his sisters Donna Kinnear and Linda Strube, both of Horton, KS; sister-in-law, Marjorie Hudson of Tempe, AZ; and sister-in-law, JoAnn Dietrich and husband Jim of Omaha, NE.

Bill is preceded in death by his parents George and Muriel Hudson; sisters Dorothy Wright, Helen Ferrin, and Joyce Irwin; brothers Dale Hudson and Herbert Hudson; and brother-in-law Donn Johnson.