William Tibbetts

Rev. William H. Tibbetts April 29, 1928 - Aug. 30, 2014 SOUTH BEND - Rev. William H. Tibbetts, 86, residing in South Bend, IN, passed away at 1:55 a.m. Saturday, August 30, 2014, at Memorial Hospital of South Bend, following a brief illness. He was born April 29, 1928, in South Portland, Maine, a son of John & Blanche M. (Nickerson) Tibbetts, and had lived in South Bend since 1968, coming from Three Rivers, MI. Rev. Tibbetts was a graduate of Eastern Nazarene College in Boston, MA; and Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO; and received his MA in Counseling from Michigan State University, Lansing, MI. He began serving the Nazarene Church as Pastor in 1953, and served several churches in Michigan in Bayne City, Hastings, Reed City, Ludington, Mason, Portland, Corey Lake in Three Rivers, and at Hillsdale. He also served as Pastor in the Methodist Church at Monson Chapel and Portage United Methodist Church in South Bend. He retired from ministry in 1989. He also was employed at Indiana University at South Bend as Director of Admissions from 1968-1979. On July 30, 1950, in Kansas City, Missouri, he was united in marriage to June E. Bedell. She passed away on December 16, 2010. Then on August 25, 2012, at the Hillside Missionary Church, South Bend, he married Joyce Smith Werner, who survives. Also surviving are his daughter and son-in-law, Nancy & Dennis Potoczky of Bristol, MI; four grandchildren, Lori (John Patrick) Donath, Aaron (Anne) Potoczky, Jason Richter and Alicia Tibbetts; and four great-grandchildren, Ethan & Austin Potoczky, and Kyla & Alexandra Donath. He is also survived by his six stepchildren, Michael Werner of Pierceton, IN, Barbara (Glenn) Prater of South Bend, IN, Dale (Patricia) Werner of South Bend, IN, Cynthia (Steven) Witmer of Osceola, IN, Roger Werner of Granger, IN, and Lu Werner of South Bend, IN; as well as eleven step- grandchildren and three step-great-grandchildren. Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 4, at the First Church of the Nazarene, 51690 North Ironwood Road, South Bend. Rev. Andy Lauer, pastor, will officiate. Burial will follow at Fairview Cemetery, Mishawaka, IN. The family will receive friends from 4:00 8:00 p.m. today at the Palmer Funeral Home-Guisinger Chapel, 3718 South Michigan Street, South Bend, and one hour prior to services Thursday at the church. Expressions of sympathy may be offered to First Church of the Nazarene, 51690 N. Ironwood Road, South Bend, IN 46635. Online condolences to the family may be sent to www.palmerfuneralhomes.com.