William Lord

William Lord, 87, passed away comfortably and peacefully at home with family at his side on August 6, 2025 from metastasized prostate cancer. William, affectionately know as Grandad or Bill, was born on February 18, 1938 in New Eastwood, Nottinghamshire, England to James Lord and Florence Starbuck. He grew up with his siblings, Jim, Frank, Mary, and David and attended the "tin-tack" elementary school, and Newton-le-Willows grammar school. A life long inspiration to Bill was D.H. Lawrence, whose birthplace was also New Eastwood. Several generations of the Lord and Starbuck families worked in the coal mines and brickmaking industries as laborers and in management. Bill took a different path and was anonymously recommended to attend Nottingham University where he earned his B.S.c. and Ph.D. in electrical engineering.

In 1959, at a University dance he met Ursula Beine, and they were married in 1961 in Germany. They immigrated to the U.S. in August of 1964. While at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, their first child, Kirsten, was born. In 1967, Bill took a position at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colorado, and their second daughter, Stephanie, was born. After Bill and Ursula separated ways, Bill took a position at Iowa State University, married Nancy Leftakes in 1988, adding two daughters, Laura and Lisa Leftakes, to his family. Bill became a naturalized citizen in March 1997; he believed wholeheartedly in the freedom and equality offered all men in the Declaration of Independence. He was a Revolutionary war, Civil war, WWII, American West, and Native American history buff. When Bill retired from his outstanding and well respected electrical engineering career, he and Nancy moved to Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Florida where he enjoyed boating, serving in the auxiliary coast guard, and family time at the beach. Nancy preceded Bill in death in 2018.

Thereafter, Bill quickly became best friends and committed life partner with Sydney Green, and added two more daughters to his family, Kirsten and Heather. Bill and Sydney were avid travelers and explorers, including many destinations in Europe as well as in the U.S. and they split their time between Towson, Maryland and Fort Walton Beach, Florida, enjoying both locations and the sites in between. They challenged each other to try new things like 10K races, shell art, reading and researching authors and artists such as Willa Cather, D.H. Lawrence, Robert Henri, and Georgia O'Keefe and following the artists life stories through travel. Bill and Sydney have been instrumental in the Robert Henri Museum and gallery in Cozad, Nebraska, and have generously sponsored internships for the museum's programs.

Bill leaves a legacy of learning, reading, exploring history through travel, trying new things, and challenging others to always keep moving.

Bill is survived by his special "B" Sydney Green, daughters Kirsten Howard, Stephanie Lord-Johnson, Laura Rose, Lisa Leftakes, Kirsten and Heather Green; sons-in-law Kerry Howard, Dan Johnson, Rick Rose, Brad Weber, Michael Wells; sister Mary and husband Manfred Beine; grandchildren Kelsey (Kelby) Andrews, Tanner (Chaya) Howard, Nikki, Alexandra, and Sophia Weber, and Hannah (Andrew) Caccia, Gabrielle (Josh Adkins) Lipetzky, and Thomas Lipetzky, and great grandchildren Paisley and William Howard and Sadie Andrews. He is preceded in death by his parents and brothers Jim, Frank, and David.

The family would especially like to thank and recognize Sydney and Heather Green for their loving care of Bill before and throughout his cancer journey.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on October 25, 2025 at Providence United Methodist Church in Towson, Maryland. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Robert Henri Museum at PO Box 355, Cozad, Nebraska 69130.