George William "Bill" Ransdell II

George William "Bill" Ransdell II, 80, passed away in the early morning of Friday, June 5, 2020.

Bill was born Aug. 15, 1939, to the late George William Ransdell Sr. and Helen (Hart) Ransdell in Louisville.

Raised in Elizabethtown and a proud graduate of Elizabethtown High School, Bill was a senior member of the undefeated 1957 Mid-KY Conference Championship team, helped lead the Panthers to the Burly Bowl Championship and was selected to the 1958 East-West All Star Game. Bill excelled in athletics, lettering in football, basketball and track in high school and his success landed him a scholarship to the University of Kentucky as a running back in football and track standout. His gridiron tenure at UK was under the leadership of legendary coach Blanton Collier and Bill experienced much success including becoming a 1960 Southeastern Conference Leader in Rushing Touchdowns (5th), Touchdowns from Scrimmage (5th), TD Responsible For (7th), Touchdowns (3rd) and Total Points (3rd).

Bill obtained his Bachelor of Arts at the University of Kentucky and went on to receive his Masters in Social Work from the University of Louisville. As a licensed clinical social worker, (LCSW), he counseled those with mental illness, substance abuse and domestic violence issues with CompCare working across the Commonwealth as well as in Elizabethtown and Frankort in private practice for more than 30 years.

"Big Bill," as he came to be known after the birth of his son, lived a life dedicated to service of others. In the turbulent times of the 1960s Civil Rights movement, he marched in Louisville with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. pushing for racial equality and social justice. As a volunteer for the American Red Cross, he responded to disasters on several occasions to contribute in both preparations and recovery operations. He traveled to New York following the September 11, 2001 attack on the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, where almost 3,000 people were killed and spent several weeks as an American Red Cross volunteer counselor assisting first responders, affected recovery workers and families of those who were lost. His ability to connect with others at a human level allowed him to challenge them to do more and be more and strive to bring pride, honor and respect to their community through service of others as well.

The joy of his life has been celebrating the success of his sons. George W. "Little Bill" Ransdell III, followed his father's path playing football at the University of Kentucky and beyond and his successes on the field as well as in life have afforded countless hours of pride for his father to enjoy and share. He and his family have been blessed to live close to "Gaggy and Mimi" and share family adventures through the growth of their five outstanding children. Andy also followed to UK and has carved out a wonderfully successful life for himself and his family in the beauty of Edwards, Colorado, where Bill and Jeanne loved to visit, take in the beauty of the mountains and revel in the successes of three gifted and talented grandchildren. Craig, who was a baseball stand-out at Georgetown College, has worked as a teacher, coach and ascended to corporate leadership roles in veterinary pharmaceuticals. He and his family, including two spectacular sons, call Kansas City "home" and have hosted many family reunions bringing the group together for celebrations and memories to last a lifetime. All three of his family-driven, compassionate sons work to help others, a legacy from both "Big Bill" and Jeanne.

A member of Lexington's Immanuel Baptist Church for more than 30 years, Bill is survived by his wife of 47 years, Jeanne Larsen Ransdell of Lexington; three sons, Bill (Deidre) Ransdell III of Lexington, Andy (Julie) Wallace of Edwards, Colorado, and Craig Wallace (Kim Young) of Kansas City, Kansas; 11 grandchildren, Brady, Cassie (Mitch Allen), Lauryn, Tanner and Mason Ann Ransdell and Brendan (Laura), Cameron, Jonah, Morgan (Tyler Cole), Conor and Larsen Wallace; four great-grandchildren, Hudson, Hayes, Beckett and Cedrych; as well as his sister-in-law, Terry Ransdell of Boerne, Texas.

In addition to his parents, Mr. Ransdell was preceded in death by his brother, Hart Ransdell.

Visitation for Mr. Ransdell is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, at Milward-Broadway, 159 N. Broadway, Lexington with service to follow at 2 p.m. officiated by Bill Ellis. Interment follows in Lexington Cemetery.

In honor of his legacy, George's family would like memorial contributions directed to Family Services through www.Greenhouse17.org.

To share a remembrance of George or offer condolences to his family, please visit milwardfuneral.com.