William (Bill) Borland Chestnut, Jr., 91, died of pneumonia on Sunday, November 17, 2013, at Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico, following an 18-month battle with a rare bone marrow cancer (MDS). Bill Chestnut was born January 16, 1922, in Clay Center, Kansas, the son of William Sr. and Martha Chestnut. He graduated from Clay County Community High School in 1939, and ten years later in 1949 graduated from Kansas State College with a bachelor's degree in architectural engineering. In the interim, during World War II, he served as a bomber pilot for the United States Navy, flying multi-engine marine aircraft. In 1948 he married the former Eleanor Ruth Minter and, following his college graduation, they moved to the Kansas City area where he pursued his engineering career. He was a loving father and provider as they raised three boys. His employment included service at Howard, Needles, Tammen & Bergendoff, where he participated in the design and construction of the commercial vending areas along the new Kansas Turnpike, and a long term at Butler Manufacturing Company, where he participated in the design and inspection of numerous commercial metal buildings. Bill retired from Butler in 1986. He and his wife were enthusiastic members of the Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, Kansas, from 1950 until their deaths. He had a special love for camping, gardening, and the family dogs. Mr. Chestnut was preceded in death by his parents, William Sr. and Martha; his wife of 63 years, Eleanor; one sister, Mary Jean Fowles; one brother, Richard Chestnut; and one son, Kelly Chestnut. Surviving him are two sons, Gayle Chestnut and wife Becky of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Kevin Chestnut of St. Louis, Missouri; and one brother, Bruce Chestnut of Clay Center, Kansas. A graveside ceremony for interment of ashes will be at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, December 7, at Republican City Cemetery near Clay Center, Kansas. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Myelodysplastic Syndromes Foundation (mds- foundation.org).

Published in Kansas City Star on Nov. 21, 2013