Bill was born Dec. 7, 1925, in Meeker, Colo., to Ben and Dorothy (Williams) Herring. He was graduated from Rio Blanco County High School in 1944, in a class of 13. He was inducted into the Army a few days later.
Bill served as a rifleman with the 10th Mountain Division and saw combat in Italy during World War II. He was very proud of his service and was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge and the Bronze Star for valor. After his honorable discharge, he attended the University of Colorado, earning a bachelor of science degree in 1950 and a master of the arts degree in 1957.
He taught fifth through eighth grades in one-room schoolhouses at Wilson Creek, Colo., and Buford, Colo. He then taught at Meeker Elementary School, where he met his wife, the former Jean Smith.
Bill and Jean married on June 13, 1954, in Greeley, Colo. They settled in Longmont, and Bill taught at Columbine Elementary and the old Longmont Junior High. He was part of the first faculty at Longs Peak Junior High, where he taught eighth grade English until retiring in 1986. After retirement, he worked for the Federal Aviation Administration as a security guard for a number of years.
Bill was a long-time member of Calvary Church in Longmont, where he had been a deacon and taught Sunday School.
He is survived by: his wife, Jean; daughter Jenny Herring; son James Herring; and grandson Kevin Herring; as well as several great grandchildren, cousins, nieces and nephews. He will be sorely missed.
Visitation was held Friday, Feb. 19, 2016, at Ahlberg Funeral Chapel. The funeral service was Saturday, Feb. 20 at 10:30 a.m. at Calvary Church in Longmont. Interment was at 10:15 a.m. on Monday, Feb. 22 at shelter C, Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver.
Contributions can be made to Calvary Church Deacon Fund, c/o Ahlberg Funeral Chapel. Visit www.ahlbergfuneralchapel.com to share condolences.
Dad was always proud of his Meeker roots. He told me that his birthday, Dec. 7, 1925, actually coincided with the explosion of Meeker’s flour mill. He wrote an article about this, which I believe was published in the Meeker Herald several years ago.