W.F. Bill Koehl, Sr.
May 29, 1921 ~ September 22, 2010
W.F. "Bill" Koehl, Sr, age 89, passed away Wednesday, September 22, 2010, at his residence in Lake Charles.
A W.W. II Army Air Corp Veteran, he served his country proudly surviving the attack on Pearl Harbor as well as flying a B26 Bomber at D-Day. Bill was also a member of VFW Post 2130 and loved playing dominoes everyday at the senior center. For most of his working career, he was a salesman in the welding supply industry. Preceding him in death was his first wife of 55 years, Hazel Sonnier Koehl, a brother, George, three sisters, Elsie, Helen, and Dorothy, and his parents, Louise and Fred Koehl. Bill will be missed by all who knew and loved him.
Survivors include his wife, Marjorie Oehler Koehl of Lake Charles; a son, Bill Koehl, Jr. of Lake Charles; two step-daughters, Maxine Hart Schultz and Joyce McDaniel and husband, Dave all of Lake Charles; a brother, Fred Koehl of Darien, WI; two sisters, Lucille Wilcox and husband, Ralph of LaCross, WI and Henrietta Kistner and husband, Richard of Clearlake, CA; and numerous nieces, nephews, and step-grandchildren.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30 a.m. at St. Henry Catholic Church on Saturday, September 25, 2010. Father Danny Torres and Father Tim Goodley will officiate. Burial will follow in Highland Memory Gardens under the direction of Johnson Funeral Home. The visitation will be held at the funeral home beginning on Friday, September 24, from 3 p.m. until 9 p.m. and again on Saturday, September 25, from 8 a.m. until 10 a.m. A rosary and scripture service will be prayed by Deacon Jack Reynolds and Deacon Ray Granger Friday evening at 6 p.m.
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Bill and family. I remember Mr. Koehl very well. My father's first cousin, JD Richard and his wife Bertha, lived next door to the Koehls on McNabb Street when I was a boy. I met Bill, Jr. when we visited with the Richards. Bill and I later went to the same schools and are LCHS classmates. I remember Mr. Koehl fondly. He always teased us kids and we would usually run from him. I am sure he will be missed by everyone in the family. My condolences to all.
Bill, sorry to hear about the loss of your father. We are in Arkansas but my thoughts and prayers are with you at this time.Love,Barbara
Bill, We just want you to know that you are in our thoughts and prayers during this time of your loss. God Bless You.Randy is Linda Lejeune's brother and Natalie sister-in-law.
Bill,I remember meeting you and your Mom and Dad when you came to Hawaii back in 1992. My husband Scott was stationed there. We went to the memorial event of Pearl Harbor with my parents. I was so happy to have this time to get to know Uncle Bill. I am proud to say I knew him and know that he will be missed.
Bill,My thoughts and prayers are with you during this very difficult time.Love, Lynn
Billy , we are sadned with your lose and prays go out to all the family. Wish we could attend the service. You had helped use with moms passing and wish we could do the same. Love from the Hardwick and Thompson families here in Austin, Texas
Billy and Marjorie, know you are in our thoughts and prayers at the loss of Uncle Bill. I will never forget the first time I met him. It was 1969 and my first husband and I were traveling to Ft. Benning, GA for his officer training program. It was our first time ever in the South and we stopped for 2 nights in Lake Charles to stay with Uncle Bill. He and Aunt Hazel were full of southern graciousness. I remember how much Uncle Bill looked like Uncle Fred and Uncle George, mom's other two brothers. But when he spoke, his LA accent was alive and well! A special man. Love, cousin Mary
Billy you are in our hearts and we will keep your father in our prayers. We Love you Vince Thompson and Family
Billy, My condolences to you and your family. I will keep all of you in my prayers.Shalom,Lillie Ray Levy
Billy, My thoughts and prayers are with you. Your Daddy was a wonderful man and will be missed. I so wish the distance between us was shorter to be there with you at this time. Our prayers for you are sent for strength and peace. With deepest sympathy and so much Love, Milla, Ashley and Heather.
Billy, we are saddened to hear about your Dad. Please know you and your family are in our prayers at this time.Bob Kathy SoileauLake Charles High Class of 65
Dear Bill, Jr.;You and your loved ones are in my heart in my prayers at this time of loss grief.I am so sorry I can't make it to the funeral tomorrow. I have a funeral in Kinder.With love prayers, sincerely;Rev. Carlos Garcia
Dear BillI will always remember our trip to New Orleans for the Pearl Harbor service. It was wonderful to see the dedication of the veterans and felt it an honor to be with them on the anniversary of Pearl Harbor. My thoughts are always with you.Linda your trip wife
Dear Billy and Marjorie,I send you my deepest sympathies at the loss of your dad and husband, and my Uncle Bill. I wish I could be there with you. I am so happy that I was able to see Uncle Bill at the reunion; he gave me such joy with his hugs and kisses, and made me smile while he rode around in the golf cart with Uncle Fredie. I could truly see my dad along side of them having fun. May God bring you peace and love during the next days and months. Love always, Dawn
Dear Family,we just wanted to express our deepest sadness regarding the departure of cousin Bill. We would like you to know that even from the distance (Koehl swiss Branch) we are touched and we pray for your family.
Goodbye, Old Uncle Bill. I love you and will miss you. You were the hero I wrote about in some of my history classes. You would be glad that I am still in JROTC and I am a sergeant now. Tell Granny hello and my PoPo, too. We will watch over Uncle Billy.
Hey Billy. We were sure sorry to hear about your dad. I know that you will miss him a lot. I will always remember him teaching me stuff about fishing and me being able to talk to him about shooting guns, especially shotguns. I'll also never forget his saying of By God when he was talking and making a point. Our prayers are with you.Bill and Libby Hamm
Hi Bill, Carl and I were so sorry to hear of the loss of your father! Our thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time!
I always loved when Uncle Bill would tell us stories, especially about the airplanes he flew in WW 2 and his experience at Pearl Harbor. Billy, you loved your Daddy so much. Our heartfelt prayers go out to you. He left our world in a dignified way, the way he would choose. We all look forward to seeing him again.
I want to express my heartfelt sympathies in the passing of Uncle Bill. I will miss the phrase By gosh which I always identified with him. I will always remember the fishing and camping trips our families took together, homemade beer, beautiful birdhouses, productive gardens and German potatoe salad. These are some of my fondest memories of Uncle Bill that I will always hold dear in my heart.Thank you for this opportunity to share memories. I am deeply sorry for his passing.Love,Mary Lougee (Hamm)
I worked with Bill many years ago for Gulf Oxygen. He was one of the first people I met and I've never forgotten him almost 40 years later. He was a great guy.
Loved listening to Mr.Koehl's stories. What a great man. Love and prayers to Bill and Mrs. Marjorie.
Margie and Bill, Jr., I got to talk to Bill on two or three occasions and enjoyed discussing his WWII experiences. Sorry to hear of his death and offer both of you mine and Mary's sincerest condolences.
Mr. Kohel, I am very sorry for the loss of your father. My prayers go out to you and your family. Sara Arnold
The Sheahan family is saddened by the passing of Uncle Bill. My Mom Elsie Koehl was the oldest of the Koehl children. I am the oldest of the next generation. The Koehl family had a reunion at the Koehl farm the first week of August. It was a blessing that Uncle Bill and Billy could be there. We all enjoyed hearing of the stories about Pearl Harbor and the other missions that Uncle Bill was in. He is our Family War Hero along with his Brother George who was in the armed gaurd in WW2. They both helped defend our country. The memories we have of Unlce Bill will live forever.Billy has been such a loving and caring son. The care he has given was a gift of the Lord. Uncle Bill will be deeply missed and remembered. Thanks to his loving wife Marjorie for the joy she has given the last years. She has been a blessing. His late wife Hazel will always be remembered as well, She was such a wonderful cook and we always will remember her seafood gumbo. Her quiet ways were so special. Truly another gift of the Lord.Prayers, Love, and Hugs from the Sheahan Family.Jerry
Uncle Bill will be greatly missed by the entire Koehl family. Our love and support go out to our cousin Billy during this difficult time.
We will miss Uncle Bill. I will remember his deep voice and calm gentle way he would tell his stories. He always seemed to be smiling. Wish it were possible to be with you Billy and Marjorie. We will keep you in our prayers. Linda