Memorials › William John Novotny

William John Novotny

27 Mar 1923 – 17 Nov 1994

Birth27 Mar 1923
Death17 Nov 1994
CemeteryMountain View Cemetery
Riverton , Fremont County , Wyoming , USA
Added bysophia1062 on 04 Oct 2012
FaGhttps://www.findagrave.com/memorial/26026249

Bio

My brother William John Novotny was born in Clarkson, Nebraska on 27 March 1923. He was the youngest of a proud family of three elder boys. Mother had a troubled pregnancy and had to leave the harshness of unsettled Montana to seek care and assistance at her parents' home in Clarkson. Our Aunt Eleanor told me how she came home from school to find this beautiful new baby with golden hair. That was Bill. Bill was introduced early to the hardships that faced a young family during the Depression. We tried ranching in Montana and homesteading in the badlands of Wyoming. In 1935, we moved to Kinnear, Wyoming to develop virgin farmland. A lot of toil and sweat goes into developing sagebrush-filled land into a productive farm. We had no equipment – just shovels. And we boys were the power for the shovels. Eventually a farm was made, and then so was a business harvesting and selling lumber. In 1942, as we were engulfed in World War II, Bill married Beulah "Boots" Stork, his school sweetheart, in Missoula, Montana. Bill chose the Navy. He spent time in Bremerton, Washington; San Diego, California; and naval encounters in the Pacific. Boots traveled with Bill wherever she could. She worked alongside in the war effort as a clerk in the shipyards. After the war, they returned to Riverton to raise their family. Wyoming was in a post-war era of change as oil, coal, gas, uranium made the state's economy boom. Bill was part of that. He became a master welder and went to work in the oil fields for a man named Johnny Miers. In 1948, Bill bought Johnny out. He became valued for his professional expertise in meeting the ordinary and emergency welding needs of the oilfields. It made no difference what the weather was. Many times he had chains on his rigs trying to get in and beat the snow drifts so that the oil and gas industry could continue. He did a marvelous job. His quality work impacted that whole region. Bill was a good and loving husband and father. He and Boots reared three sons and two daughters. He was active in his community. He did much for the Boy Scouts Troup 76, Babe Ruth Baseball, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, the Masonic Lodge 26 AF & AM, and the National Rifle Association. He served as president of the Riverton Gem and Mineral Association. He loved to hunt for rocks and visualize the wonderful jewels that he picked up throughout the high desert country. He polished the gems, created a spectacular and geologically informative display in his basement, and crafted beautiful gifts to delight family and friends. He was devoted to the outdoors, not only hunting rocks, but hunting, fishing, camping and family excursions. Bill and Boots built a special log home high in the sky above Dubois, Wyoming. Building the cabin in the mountains was a tremendous challenge. Bill told me that he would finish a day's work up there, and then lie awake most of the night planning how he would do things tomorrow. Bill died on 17 November 1994 in Riverton after a courageous battle with cancer. He was 71 years old. He faced death as he had his life, with strength and love for those around him. --Ray Novotny, 2000

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