The son of Glen Earl and Frances Coraline Christian Gerard, Bill was born March 22, 1947, in Marengo. He was raised in the area and received his education at the Iowa Braille and Sight Saving School in Vinton. He was married to Linda Patten July 22, 1972, at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Brooklyn and the couple raised three children in Grinnell. Bill was employed at several business' including the Dining Services at Grinnell College, DeLong Sportswear, Hy-Vee Food Store, R & M Redemption Center, and Gordy Abel's roofing business. He was a newspaper carrier for the Des Moines Register and Penny Saver and assisted Norman Hall in his antique business. He also operated his own lawn maintenance and snow removal service in Grinnell for almost 30 years. Survivors include his three children, David Gerard and his fianc'e, Mandy, Christian Gerard and Heather Gerard, all of Grinnell; his mother, Frances of Estes Park, Colorado; his brother James and his wife, Terri of Fort Collins, Colorado; four grandchildren, Dominique, Drew, Simone and Brent, all of Grinnell; three nephews, Jeff Gerard of Denver, Colorado, Brandon Gerard of Lake Tahoe, California and Joe Patten of Grinnell; two nieces, Kalie Marsh and Kelena Peters of Grinnell; a brother-in-law, Donnie Patten of Tiffin; a sister-in-law, Lorraine Patten of Grinnell; and a dear friend, Rachel Mahaffey and her son, Ryan both of Grinnell. Bill died December 17, 2004, from injuries sustained in a traffic accident, at the age of 57. He was preceded in death by his father.