William 'Bill' Jesse Blanton

William J. Blanton was born November 9, 1922, in Harrisonville, MO, where at the age of 10, he and his four siblings became orphans. The children were separated and moved to other family members’ homes with Bill moving to Wichita, KS, to live with his father’s sister, Minnie Casey.
A few years later, his Aunt’s family moved to Norwood, MO. Bill’s new best friend and neighbor was Everett Shores, who happened to have a beautiful younger sister, Stella. Bill started his freshman year at Norwood High School. However, he had to quit school because his only shirt was ruined and they were too poor to buy a new one.
At the age of 15, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps but had to lie about his age to get in. In the CC camps, Bill built roads and bridges across the U.S. At 18, with the money he saved, he and a friend decided to move to California to find work. Bill settled in San Diego.
During these years, Bill had never forgotten the love of his life in Norwood. Before moving to California, Bill and Stella had tried once to go to Hartville, MO, to get married. Stella’s mom, Eva, found them and made Stella go back home. They continued their courtship through letters while Bill was gone. He was always begging her to marry him. Bill liked to tell the story of how Stell said it would be a “cold day in July before I marry you.” He was relentless in the proposals and he began to send money home to pay for a train ticket to bring Stella to California. This time with her parent’s approval, she went.
On August 17, 1941, they were married in Yuma, AZ, at 5:00 a.m. with Bill’s brother Bob, as their witness. They celebrated 71 years on the day before his passing.
Bill and Stella made their first home in San Diego, CA, where Bill worked at Consolidated Aircraft. Even though he had a six month deferment from entering WWII, he preferred to go fight for his country in the Army Air Corps, which was later known as the U.S. Air Force. He served for 2 years from 1943 to 1945 as a tail gunner in a B-29. Bill was very proud of his country and service and loved to share his war stories.
In 1943, while Bill was gone to war, Stella returned to the Macomb area to be with her family for the birth of their first child, Diana. A few days after her birth, Bill returned home on leave to see his wife and beautiful baby girl.
In 1945, after Bill returned home from the war, he moved his family to Wichita, KS, and resided there for 4 or 5 years. As a young wife, Stella asked her pastor to come to their home and witness to her husband. Bill accepted Christ in their home that night and was baptized shortly after.
They then moved back to Norwood, bought a small farm, and welcomed their second child, David, in 1950.
The family attended Corinth Baptist Church and Bill became a deacon in 1956. He served the Lord and his church for over 50 years.
Bill ran an auto repair business out of his garage for several years. He was very good with his hands and could fix most anything.
In the early 1960s, Bill was hired at Cabool Creamery and earned his GED while employed there. He always said he wished he had finished high school, but was very proud to have his GED.
Bill was always interested in politics, especially the Democratic Party. A local politician encouraged him to take his Civil Service exam. After receiving the top score on his test, combined with his years of military service, he was appointed Post Master at Norwood. Bill always enjoyed visiting with each person that came in to pick up their mail; getting to know them and helping them in any way he could. He retired in 1985 with 21 years of service.
Bill loved Norwood and wanted to watch it grow and prosper, so he built a small variety store and called it Blanton’s Discount Center. He and Stella always had a sense of pride in their community and were honored, one year, to be chosen as Grand Marshalls of the Farmer’s Day parade.
Bill had many hobbies. He loved riding his motorcycles and playing guitar, even though he couldn’t carry a tune or keep a beat; so he started building guitars, banjos, and dobros. He moved on to building various pieces of wood furniture which he gave to his children and grandchildren.
Bill loved studying genealogy and learning about his and Stella’s family heritage. He donated his research to the University of Missouri library.
After the death of his son, David, in 1998, he and Stella moved to Mtn. Grove into a new home. Bill had always promised Stella a new house. They lived there 11 years. During this time Bill developed a fascination with computers and learned to build them.
In 2010, Bill and Stella moved to The Waterford in Springfield, MO. He enjoyed meeting the men for breakfast and the fellowship of all the residents and employees. He was loved by every one of them.
In 2011, Bill was escorted by Mike Shores on one of the Honor Flights for WWII veterans. They visited the WWII memorial in Washington, D.C., and shared memories with other veterans of their time overseas.
In June 2012, Bill developed congestive heart failure and was hospitalized. After being released from the rehabilitation unit, he and Stella moved to The Gardens Assistive Living. He enjoyed 3 weeks in their new home before quickly falling ill and passing away.
Bill’s life story is one that America was built on. With a lot of determination and hard work, he survived all the odds against him and persevered. He lived a lot of life, passing just 2 months shy of 90. The stories he shared with us all will not be forgotten. He will be greatly missed by all his friends, family, and those whose lives he touched.
He was greatly loved by his family. Bill’s legacy, and he and Stella’s love story will live forever in the lives of their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren.
Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by one son: David Blanton; two brothers Robert Blanton and Chester Blanton; one sister: Berniece Ashton; three brothers-in-law: Everett Shores, Billy Shores, and James Shores; two sisters-in-law: Bonnie King and Bertha Atchison.
Bill is survived by his wife: Stella Blanton; one daughter: Diana Blanton of Nixa, Missouri; one daughter-in-law: Judy Shaw of Nixa; four grandchildren: Sonya Everett and her husband, Bud, of Ava, Missouri, Wes Housley and his wife, Lee Anne, of Welch, Oklahoma, Tara Ecklund and her husband, Craig, of Ozark, Missouri, and Tana Byerly and her husband, Jared, of Nixa; ten great-grandchildren: Jessica Woolman and her husband, Jesse, of Ava, Bethany Murrill and her husband, Coby, of Hatfield, Missouri, Whitney Everett of Springfield, Missouri, Wesley Trey and Aaron Everett of Ava, W.J. Housley of Welch, Gunnar and Lillian Eckland of Ozark, and Brock and Masen Byerly of Nixa; one great-great-grandchild: Peyton Woolman and one on the way; one sister: Alene Kendall of Temecula, California; one sister-in-law: Grace Nicholson and her husband, Darrell, of Macomb, Missouri; one brother-in-law: John Shores and his wife, Shirley, of Norwood, Missouri; and many other relatives and friends who will miss him greatly.

Memorial Contributions:
American Cancer Society, c/o the funeral home.