William S. "Bill" VanMeter

WILLIAM "BILL" S.
VANMETER, 86

WINTER HAVEN - Mr. William "Bill" S. VanMeter, 86, of Winter Haven, died June 22, 2011 due to heart failure.
Bill VanMeter's path to bass fishing and yard sales came after spending an adult lifetime of working as a geologist. He always enjoyed being outdoors.
Originally from Columbus, OH, where he was a graduate of Ohio State University and an avid Buckeyes fan, Bill was born Sept. 12, 1924 to Stuart and Mary (Elgin) VanMeter. He served during World War II as a U.S. Navy pilot. He'd later enjoyed flying his own plane. After the war, he began his career as a geologist working in the great Lake Champlain area of Upstate New York "expanding mineral reserves".
His career would take him to South America for a number of years working in production for a division of U.S. Steel and he later starting his own clay mining company in Pennsylvania with a couple of partners.
It was a job with Mobile Chemical in the phosphate industry that brought Bill VanMeter to Lakeland where his career continued, finishing as a mine inspector for Polk County, from which he retired.
He is survived by his wife of 35 years, Jessie VanMeter. Between the two, the couple had 11 children: Stuart (Carolina) VanMeter of Hendersonville, NC, Kirk (Valli) VanMeter of Gainesville, FL, and Burr (Olga) VanMeter of The Woodlands, TX, Raymond (Linda) Watson of Lakeland, and Dennis (Dee) Watson of Madison, Anne (Howard) Kessler of Panacea, FL, Jennifer Watson of Lakeland, Sue (Al) Boyd of Mulberry and Irene (Ran-dy) White of Lakeland. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren; 17 great grandchildren; 6 great great grandchildren; and his brother Elgin (Elizabeth) VanMeter of Green-wood, SC. He was predeceased by daughters Mary Watson, and Teresa Er-vin.
Friends will be received at the Lakeland Funeral Home from 12 noon to 2 p.m. on Tuesday where funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Interment will take place in Lakeland Memorial Gardens Cemetery.