William "Bill" Joseph Daisy

It is with great sadness that the family of William (Bill) Joseph Daisy announces his death that occurred on Saturday, September 7th at 8:15 p.m. in his home with his family who brought him comfort and surrounded him with their love.  Bill fought a long battle with COPD and most recently with esophageal cancer.

Bill's earthly journey began on March 12th, 1937.  He was born to William Henry and Lela (Hicks) Daisy in Kokomo, Indiana.  His life as a child was full of fun and adventure with friends, spending time on his Uncle Ab's farm, participating in the Boy Scouts, and playing clarinet in the high school bands. It was in his sophomore year of high school that he met the love of his life, Delores (Dee) F. Bruce.  They graduated from Kokomo High School in 1955 and were married on August 5th, 1956, in Beamer United Methodist Church in Kokomo, Indiana.   They were devoted to raising their four children with as much love as they had for one another.  They took several family vacations throughout the United States enriching their children's' lives in appreciation of our country's beauty.  In addition to their family vacations, Bill and Dee achieved their goal of travelling to all the 50 states in the union.  They also enjoyed several canoeing trips down the Au Sable River in Michigan with many of their dear friends.

Bill proudly served his country for eight years as a member of the Bravo Battery 1st Battalion - 150th Field Artillery in the Indiana National Guard out of Kokomo.  At the time of his discharge in 1962, he had achieved the rank of Sergeant E5.  He was extremely proud that his four of his five grandsons had followed in his footsteps of serving their country in the Marines, Army and Navy.

Bill enjoyed a very successful career of 37 years at Delco Electronics having started in the blue print room and retiring as a manager of an engineering department.  Upon his retirement in 1992, he and his wife enjoyed extensive travels which included several cruises and a five month long RV trek across the country from Indiana to Alaska, down the west coast of North America to California, and back to Indiana.  

Outside of work, Bill spent much of his time volunteering for the Boy Scouts of America and Girl Scouts of America.  He was a Scoutmaster of his son's Boy Scout Troop 504 in which he had six young men (one of which was his son) achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.  He was also a former Brotherhood Member of the Order of Arrow Boy Scouts of America and a member of the Girl Scouts of America.  He led his son's Boy Scout Troop on two trips to the Philmont Scout Ranch in Cimarron, New Mexico, and led his daughters' Girl Scout Troop to the Girl Scout National Center West in Ten Sleep, Wyoming.  He was very proud that all three of his daughters achieved the Girl Scout's Gold Award. 
Additionally, Bill enjoyed watching sports including the Indiana Hoosiers, the Purdue Boilermakers (after having paid his son's tuition),  the Chicago Cubs, and Indianapolis Colts.  He was ecstatic when the Colts won the Super Bowl in 2007, and especially when the Cubs finally won the World Series in 2016.
Surviving family members include his wife of 63 years Delores F. (Bruce) Daisy; children Karen (George) Shiriaev of Ft. Wayne, IN, Cindi (John) Chapman of Delphi, IN, Susan (Jeff) Miller of Senoia, GA, and Bill (Christiana) Daisy of El Segundo, CA; grandchildren Ben (Amanda) Cripe, Derek Burge, Justin (Amanda) Burge, Nathan (Samantha) Miller, Natalia Miller, and Ian Chapman; brother-in-law Myron Bruce of Center Point, IN, sister-in-law Paula (Bruce) Smith of Kokomo, IN; several nieces, nephews and great-grandchildren.  Bill was proceeded in death by his parents William H. and Lela (Hicks) Daisy, father and mother-in-law John Henry and Ona (Simpson) Bruce, sister Connie F. (Daisy) Frey, sister-in-law Sandra (Lytle) Bruce, and brother-in-law Jim Smith.  
The family will be forever grateful for the warm and loving care that was given to Bill especially during this past year by Dr. Tracy Price and staff, Dr. Julie Tredemeyer and staff, the third floor nursing staff at Community Howard Regional Health, and Premier Hospice. In particular, the family is especially thankful to Kim (Bill's hospice nurse) who became a special friend to both Bill and Dee during the most difficult and trying time of their 63 years together.  

The family would like you to join them in celebrating Bill's life.  Visitation will be Friday, September 13 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM at Shirley & Stout Funeral Home & Crematory, 1315 W. Lincoln Rd., Kokomo, IN.  Services will be Saturday, September 14 at 11:00 AM at the Funeral Home.  Burial will follow in Albright Cemetery with military honors provided by the Indiana National Guard and the Kokomo VFW Military Rites Team. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Kokomo Park Band.  Bill and Dee always enjoyed joining friends and listening to the summer performances in Kokomo's Highland Park.  Messages of condolence may be left online at www.shirleyandstout.com.  

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