William Henry "Bill" Waterson, 84, Spearfish, died Sunday, January 23, 2011, at Spearfish Regional Hospital.

Visitation will be noon until 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday at the Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis.

Funeral services will be held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, January 27, 2011, at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Whitewood with Pastor David Baer officiating. Inurnment will be in the Whitewood Cemetery.

Bill was born March 21, 1926, at Owanka, SD, to William H. Sr. and Maude (Felton) Waterson. The family lived in Connecticut before returning to South Dakota and living in Lakeside and then the Whitewood/St. Onge area. Bill graduated from Whitewood High School. Bill enjoyed hunting, fishing, and riding broncs in his younger years.

On March 25, 1945, Bill married Frieda Vainio at Sturgis.

Bill worked for a creamery in St. Onge and the Fairmont Creamery in Rapid City before joining Homestake as a miner. At the same time, he also worked as an aide at Ft. Meade and spent time working in the timber. After 14 years of mining, he started working in construction which led to a plumbing career. He started in Spearfish and in 1972, he worked for Black Hills Plumbing and Heating in Newcastle for 10 years. He then started his own plumbing business which he worked until his retirement in 1987.

Bill managed apartments in Spearfish and also enjoyed working on the gaming floor of the Silverado in Deadwood where he could socialize. During his retirement, he had more time to fish, hunt, bowl, and take Frieda to Deadwood for socializing Tin Lizzy style.

Survivors include his wife, Frieda Waterson, Spearfish; son, James (Becky) Waterson, Wright, WY; daughter, Vera (Richard) Huber, Newcastle, WY; son-in-law, Dwight Vander Vorste, Royal City, WA; daughter-in-law, Tara Waterson, Ft. Peck, MT; one brother, George (Caroline) Waterson, St. Onge; 12 grandchildren; and 22 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his son, David Waterson; daughter, Shirley Vander Vorste; and one grandson, Timothy.

A memorial has been established to the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Whitewood.