William John "Bill" Teaford

1933 - 2025

William "Bill" John Teaford

December 5, 1933 - December 6, 2025

William "Bill" J. Teaford was born on a snowy night, December 5, 1933, in a farmhouse in Norton County, Kan., to Walter and Hattie Teaford. On December 6, 2025, he died on a snowy night in Cedar Falls, Iowa, surrounded by his wife and children.

Bill won a state engineering championship when he was in high school and he decided to pursue engineering as a career. He earned a bachelor's degree in Agricultural Engineering from Kansas State and a master's degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of Illinois. He worked for John Deere for 33 years, primarily in tractor safety. His career took him to seven countries, mostly for John Deere, but he also represented the United States in International Standards deliberations.

Bill was drafted and served for two years in the Army, mostly in Germany. While in Germany, he took the opportunity to travel extensively in Europe. His favorite place was Vienna, Austria, because of the beautiful music, delicious coffee and impressive art. He told his family many times how seeing the edelweiss flowers on the tops of the Austrian Alps was one of the most beautiful things he'd ever seen.

Bill married Jane Brown on February 8, 1959, in Northbranch, Kan. They have two children, Sarah (Paul) Hanson of Anchorage, Alaska, and Phillip (Ingrid) Teaford of North Canton, Ohio. They have four grandchildren, Max and Jordan Teaford, and Hugh and Hilary Hanson. Bill is survived by one brother, Sam Teaford of Long Beach, Calif.

Bill loved being involved in politics. He was a precinct committee person, serving on the Black Hawk County Democratic Central Committee for 56 years. He was also a caucus leader 14 times. The most fun, though, was entertaining politicians. Over the years, Bill and Jane hosted events in their home for Senator Paul Simon, presidential candidates Michael Dukakis, Barack Obama, and Martin O'Malley, Senator Tom Harkin, Representative Bruce Braley, Governor Tom Vilsack and several state Democratic candidates for office. It's estimated Bill knocked on over 60,000 doors, encouraging people to register to vote.

Bill loved cars. He was always shopping for cars, even when he wasn't planning to buy one. Bill and his wife volunteered with Global Volunteers and traveled to five countries teaching English. Bill also had a green thumb and grew the most delicious tomatoes with his favorite variety being Early Girl.

Bill was a long-time member of St. Timothys United Methodist Church, joining the church in 1962. Before he died, he commented about how warm and welcoming St. Timothys had been when he and Jane arrived in Cedar Falls in 1962. Bill served on many church committees throughout the years, his favorite being Social Concerns.

Bill's celebration of life will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, December 13, 2025, at St. Timothys United Methodist Church in Cedar Falls with visitation an hour prior. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to Bill's favorite charity, the Northeast Iowa Food Bank (www.neifb.org). Please visit www.dahlfuneralhome.com to share condolences with the family.