William C. Harper

William C. Harper, age 92, of Lancaster, died on Thursday, May 21, 2009, at his home in Lancaster. He was born on February 24, 1917, in Red Cedar (now Durand), the son of Hugh Allen and Florence Gertrude (Burr) Harper. Bill graduated from Lancaster High School in 1935. He was a great athlete who lettered in football, basketball, and baseball while he attended college at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Idaho. While attending college in Idaho, he began to work for MK on Wake Island to earn money for medical school. During the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wake Island came under siege and on December 23, Wake Island fell into Japanese hands. Most of the MK civilian employees and military were taken to China and Japan prisoner of war camps until the war ended in 1945. Bill received an honorable discharge from the Navy. The men of Wake Island have remained friends to this day. On July 27, 1946, William was united in marriage to Shirley Jean Walker in Madison. Together they farmed and raised a family at Cornerstone Farm in Lancaster.

Survivors include his nine children, David (Donna); Jeffrey; Robert; Neal (Marilyn); Sharon; Jules (Mac); Jane; Lisa (Tod); and Lora; numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren; his sister, Jean (Bob) Nauman.

In addition to his parents, William was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley, and a granddaughter, Stephanie Muldoon; three sisters: Dorothy Tucker, Ann Padgett, Alice Stokes, and a brother, Hugh.

Memorial services with military honors were held on Saturday, June 13, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at the Youth and Ag Building in Lancaster. Burial was at a later date. There was no visitation prior to services. Schwartz Funeral Home in Lancaster assisted the family. In lieu of plants and flowers, a William C. Harper memorial fund has been established.