William "Bill" Myers

1948 - 2024

William 'Bill' Myers
Born: February 14, 1948
Died: March 13, 2024
Bill Myers died Wednesday, March 13 after a long and cruel battle with Alzheimer's disease. He was 76.
He crammed a lot of living into those 76 years. Born William Stephen Myers on Valentine's Day, 1948, in Savanna, Ill., Mr. Myers had been a teacher, a coach, a school administrator and, in his last chapter, a family therapist. He had traveled the world, from Brazil to Europe to Cambodia and back again. To an older generation, he was "T.T.," small-town hero. Fellow coaches and kids in Chicago's suburbs knew him as "Puppy." Students at Rock Falls High School knew him as "Coach." For a generation of kids at Lincoln and Washington Elementary Schools in Sterling, he was "Mr. Myers," the man with the silly ties and sillier jokes ("Does your face hurt? Well, it's killing me"). His children knew him as "Dad," or "Piston." His grandchildren called him "Papa." Countless others knew him as a friend.
He had been a girl dad long before it was cool and a horrible dancer long after it was cool. He was a calligrapher, a champion snow-blower and an appreciator of filthy jokes. He had dabbled in politics – once running for regional superintendent of schools in what was a disastrous year for his Democratic Party – and spent decades in his workshop, puttering around with his beloved tools and gadgets and tchotchkes and the swear words that his kids could hear across the house. Two generations of his family knew – or quickly learned – that it was time to exit when he uttered the phrase, "The whole town of Tombstone/Remembers the day…"
Mr. Myers went to Illinois State University on a wrestling scholarship. As a freshman, his coach tried to haze him by forcing him to wrestle defending national champion Willie Williams at an early practice. Mr. Myers beat the older man soundly and made another friend-for-life: He and Williams would become roommates on road trips and Williams' name was always whispered in hushed and reverent tones in Mr. Myers' household.
After a few years as an assistant coach in the Chicago suburbs, Mr. Myers was offered the job as wrestling coach at Rock Falls High School. The program was in rough shape when he took over. In his first year, he kicked nearly half of his wrestlers off the team for misconduct. (Mr. Myers was gentle with almost everyone, but he had no tolerance for two types of people: Bullies and "dirtbags.") By the time he left the program, it was regularly winning conference championships, sending wrestlers to the state tournament – and, even more glorious in Mr. Myers' eyes – beating hated rival Sterling.
He left sports behind to become dean of students at Rock Falls, a job he would take with him to Dixon High School. Eventually, he served as assistant principal at Challand Junior High School, a principal at Lincoln and Washington and finally rose to deputy superintendent in Sterling, until he retired, in 2003.
After retiring, he went back to college to earn another degree, this one in family therapy. He went to work for his beloved wife, Margo Heaney Myers, on whom he doted. ("Work is tough," he liked to say, "and I'm sleeping with the boss.")
The Alzheimer's dimmed his lights slowly, but he fought valiantly and – as ever – humorously. A physical therapist once gave him a series of instructions. She worried that they had been too complicated. "What am I asking you to do?" she asked him.
"Embarrass myself," came the reply.
He is survived by his wife, Margo, four grown children (Billy, Mick, Grace and Erin) seven grandchildren (Leo, Zelda, Silas, Noah, Genevieve, Rhea and Eamon) and two brothers (Bob and Jim). The family will hold a memorial later this year.