Bill Ostrander III

OSTRANDER III Bill Ostrander was born on June 25, 1958 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. As an infant, he returned with his family to Kansas City, Missouri, where he remained for the rest of his life. Bill passed away peacefully on Thursday,, May 30, 2013 at St. Joseph's Hospital in Kansas City at the age of 54 with his family by his side. Bill (or Will as he was called by his family) attended Redemptorist and Hale Cook grade schools and was a graduate of Southwest High School. He then attended mechanics school. However, his talent was in fine detail work which he turned into an over 30 year career at Root Dental Lab, making one of a kind dentures and crowns to order. After leaving Root in 2009, Bill was a school bus driver for Durham Bus Services in Blue Valley, Kansas. He was a former parishioner at Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Redemptorist) Catholic Church, St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church and St. Thomas More Catholic Church. Bill was very active in a variety of local organizations such as the Classic Thunderbird Club of Kansas City, Laser Rangers and Great Plains International Plastic Modelers Society. He was a founding member of Starbase Kansas City. It was not unusual for him to go to a car cruise on a Saturday morning with friends, talk models at the local model store in the afternoon, and to attend a science fiction film festival the same evening. Bill was also an avid country music fan. He shared his interests with friends all over the country from Oregon to Memphis. Bill was very kind and generous to all his friends and family, giving freely of his time to help out those who needed a ride to an event, or to obtain that special collectible item that only he could locate. He also assisted in helping his brother who had been hospitalized. He will truly be missed. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, William and Alma (Sally) Ostrander, and his brother Jim Ostrander and by his best friend, cousin Vince Koehler. He is survived by his sister Judy Behee, her husband Bill, and their children, Kathy Kozak, Lisa Ragland, Bill Behee, John Behee and Brian Behee and their spouses and children; sister Mary Jane Minney and her husband John (California) and their children Anne Smoke and Patrick Minney and their spouses and children; brother Michael Ostrander of Kansas City; his uncle and aunt Hugh and Mary Ostrander and their children Bud Ostrander, Tim Ostrander, Mimi Puffett and Kathy Parker and their spouses and children; and aunts Ruth Penniston and Molly Evanoff and their children. Bill is also survived by the extended family of his late cousin Vince Koehler, including Marie Anne Koehler, and her children, Gerry, Mary Kay, Paul, Vince Jr. and John and their spouses and children. Bill was always included in Koehler family events and parties and enjoyed being part of their lives. Friends and family are invited to attend a funeral Mass to be held in Bill's honor at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 15, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church, 1800 SW State Route 150 in Lee's Summit, Missouri, followed by a luncheon reception at the church hall. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be sent to Ronald McDonald House or your favorite charity on his behalf.