William F. Houser, a retired U.S. Postal Service employee and U.S. Air Force veteran, died on Sunday September 22, 2019 from lung cancer at the Cornerstone Hospice in The Villages, FL. He was 79.
After graduating from Abington High School in Pennsylvania, Mr. Houser enlisted in the U. S. Air Force. In 1968, he joined the U.S. Postal Service holding various positions in logistics and operations. His true passion was as a Letter Carrier and he established many lifelong friendships with the residents on his route in Glenside, PA. In 37 years of service with the Post Office, he took only two sick days.
After his retirement in 1997, Bill and his wife Ruth relocated to The Villages, FL where they spent many blissful years enjoying their new neighbors and friends. He loved sports and being outdoors. Always active in organized athletics, “Billy” held the Most Hits Title in the softball league, slugging out 58 hits in the 2017 season. Countless hours of landscaping produced joy in his labor and great pride in his results.
A self-taught guitarist, Bill was also an accomplished composer who wrote many songs, several of which were published and received awards including his favorite composition “Jesus Put the Joy Back Into My Life” (I Corinthians 10:13) . He loved to study the Holy Bible and had an encyclopedic memory of biblical citation and verse.
Bill was preceded in death by his first wife Janet (nee Watterson) in 1988. He is survived by his wife of 26 years, Ruth Olive (nee Leininger); two daughters, Melanie (Barry) and Carolee of Pennsylvania and Ruth’s two children, Robert (Diane) and Susan (Tom); 11 grandchildren, Kyle, Hannah, Connor, Daniel, Samantha, Matthew, Jonathan, Lily, Amanda, Christopher and Damon Jr. and one fine cat, Emma.
In lieu of flowers, friends may place memorial contributions with the American Cancer Society.
