William Royce Shuttleworth

1926 - 2019

William (Bill) Royce Shuttleworth

Cedar Rapids - William (Bill) Royce Shuttleworth, 92, died at his home in Cedar Rapids on October 28 surrounded by his loving family and nurse Rose Hayslett.

He was born to Vivian Craven and Frances Royce Shuttleworth in Cedar Rapids on December 3, 1926.

Bill was a renaissance man: in addition to his career as a lawyer he was an athlete, musician, artist, and held scholarly knowledge on a variety of subjects.

At Franklin High School he lettered in football, basketball and track. He was named first Team All-State in basketball and was a member of the 1944 team that was runner up in the state championship.

Also while at Franklin Bill began to nurture his lifelong love of music by playing the French horn in the school orchestra. Later in life piano became his main instrument and he enlivened many family gatherings and parties with his ability to play anything from Mozart to Boogie Woogie.

In December 1944 Bill enlisted in the US Navy. He was not sent into battle overseas but remained in the Navy until discharged in July 1946.

Bill enrolled in the University of Iowa in the fall of 1946. On the Debate Team he developed his passion for spirited discussion. He received his BA (Phi Beta Kappa) in 1949 and an MA Degree in Speech Criticism in 1951.

The most important event during his time at the University of Iowa was meeting his future wife Winifred (Teddy) Allen whom he also courted at Lake Okoboji where her family had a summer cottage. They were married November 24, 1951.

After graduating from the University of Iowa Bill attended Yale Law School and graduated in 1953.

Bill joined the law firm of Elliott, Shuttleworth and Ingersoll that his father Craven had helped found in the 1920s. He became a partner in the firm and remained one until he become "of counsel" in the late 1990s.

Bill was civic minded and cared deeply about the condition and affairs the world, and had a powerful impact on numerous individuals and organizations.

In Cedar Rapids he was legal counsel for Coe College and served on its Board of Trustees for many years, including two terms as chair. He supported the Cedar Rapids Symphony as a board member and chair of its foundation. Bill also had a keen interest in world affairs and the pursuit of peace. He was active in the Iowa Division of the United Nations Association from 1957 until 2013, and supported the University of Iowa International Writers Program. In the Okoboji region he was an avid supporter of Iowa Lakeside Laboratory through the Friends of Lakeside Lab and the Okoboji Protective Association.

Bill also had family roots in northwest Iowa and grew up visiting his grandparents, William and Blanche Shuttleworth, in Sibley. In 1986 Bill and his nephew Alexander Craven Sarkis gifted Ocheydan Mound, a farm his grandfather purchased in 1909, to the State of Iowa to be protected and managed in perpetuity as a scenic and scientific landmark.

As a cousin remarked upon his death "If everyone had a little bit of Bill in them, the world would be a much better place."

Bill was preceded in death by his sister Ann and is survived by his wife Winifred (Teddy) and their children Jeff, Jane and Amy Shuttleworth; his grandchildren Will and Judy Philips, and his nephew Alexander Craven Sarkis.

In lieu of flowers consider giving either to one of Bill's passions listed above, or a nonprofit of your choice.