William “Bill” LeRoy Burley, Jr., was born on September 26, 1933 in Crawford County, Ohio to the late William LeRoy Burley, Sr. and the late Mildred Marie Hedges Burley. He graduated from Morral High School in 1951. He died at Riverside Methodist Hospital September 8, 2018, about three weeks shy of his 85th birthday. Bill had one younger brother, the late Larry Lee Burley.
Bill and Margaret Lee Martin Burley were married on March 29, 1952 in Caledonia, Ohio. They had 66 years of blissful marriage together! Their children are: David (Carol) Burley, Lee Ann (late Eric) Derugen, Keith (Michelle) Burley, and Thomas Burley (Rosemary Appiah, special friend). Their Grandchildren are: Ryan (Jessica) Burley, Heather (Patrick) Burley Zingerella, Kyle Burley (fiancé Kelsey Brust) and Morgan (Matthew) Burley Vatalare. He was overjoyed to have a great-grandson to carry on the Burley name by Ryan and Jessica, 4-month-old James Scott Burley. He will be especially missed by his nephew Jeff Burley and niece Su Burley Moodespaugh. He is also survived by his most improbable companion, Snookie the Cat.
He grew up on a farm and started helping his father at a young age. He acquired and worked his first farm at the age of 18. He loved farming and the country life. Bill raised many things… he raised cattle, hogs, sheep; he raised corn, soybeans, wheat; he even raised a couple faithful farms dogs, Boots and Skipper. But he rarely raised his voice to his children… except to holler up the stairs every morning to get them out of bed by saying, “It’s gittin’ on to Noon!”
After he and Margaret married he farmed while working at White Mule Co, Marion and later Tecumseh Products. They lived and farmed the Hinnaman Farm 1953-1958; the Owens Farm from 1958 to 1972; and then the Hedges Farm (Bill’s grandparents) from 1972 to where they live today in the family’s 1865 farmhouse.
He will be missed by many farmer friends around the Green Camp area. Bill Junior and his father Bill Senior, as they were known, met their farmer friends every day for lunch at the Berwick Pizza Shop in Green Camp for years. His farmer friends Steve Clunk and Tim Seiter have farmed the Hedges farm since Bill retired from the fields about 2005, Claire Zimmerman, Bob Richie, Tom Myers who worked on the tractors often, Benny Rose and Dwight Williams. Special Friends are the late Burley Lowe and his son Carlson Lowe, Mary Gray, Jaime Pollock and Gloria Coleman.
Although his health had been a bit up and down in recent weeks, always the farmer, Bill had just had the big White tractor pulling a 15′ chopper out last Thursday to mow the lanes around the farm. The next day, he suddenly fell ill.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at the Snyder Funeral Homes, DENZER Chapel, 360 East Center Street, Marion, Ohio; Calling hours Wednesday, September 12, 4:00-7:00 p.m. Funeral service on Thursday, September 13 at 10:30 a.m. Pastor Craig Moock, Rural Chapel United Methodist Church, Galena, will officiate the service. Burial will be at the Marion Cemetery following the service.
The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be given to the Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities, 165 W. Center St, Suite 302, Marion, Ohio 43302 where Margaret recently retired after working 39 years assisting families of children with disabilities.
Snyder Funeral Homes of Marion are honored to serve Bill’s family and your condolences may be expressed to them via www.SnyderFuneralHomes.com.
About Marion Online Obituaries
