William "Bill" E. Pfeiffer

William Edward Pfeiffer, II, or just "Bill", was born August 2, 1927, on Long Island, New York. A natural-born mischief-maker this Catholic kid was always intrigued by farm life even though he was surrounded by city. He loved swimming, adventures, and raising chicks bought at Macy's on 34th street. He left the city to pursue hard farm work during the summers.  Upon graduation and asked by his mother to "be safe", he immediately picked the Paratroopers after enlisting in the Army in 1949. He lived to tell the tales and attended Iowa State University for agricultural engineering while meeting his patient and loving wife Norma Sue (nee Woodruff). They married in 1951 and had 5 children:

Bill the 3rd, Joe (Barbara nee Baker), Jane (Bob Pressly), Andy, and Anne (Perkins).  Bill had a long career beginning at Martin Steel in Mansfield, OH, then Rolfes Grain Drying Equipment in Boone, IA and had a 33-year career at Farm Fans Inc. of Indianapolis. He became a member of St. Lawrence Catholic Church in 1964. He volunteered with BINGO, ushered, and was one of the founding members of the St. Lawrence Canoe Club. Bill traveled the country to help farmers with their grain drying equipment and once was awarded a thousand pistachios with his name printed on each one!  Bill was a Master Naturalist, a life-long learner, wonderful story teller, and a history buff.   He loved scuba diving, canoeing on Fall Creek, disappearing into the horizon when swimming in the ocean, walking in the woods, and playing any sort of game. He prided himself in hard work, but also contemplative rest.  Bill found real joy in having grandchildren - showing off his ability to walk around the perimeter of the house on his hands, climbing to the top of a ladder and jumping before it’d fall, wheel-barreling kids around, doing chin-ups, or inventing a new game for kids to enjoy.  Always playful, he'd joke, dramatically feigning his death or acting angry at losing a game, shooting army men off the vaulted ceiling fan with rubber bands, or reading stories, changing his voice for each character.  Weekend afternoons consisted of family time playing pool or shuffleboard to the tunes of Patsy Cline or Boots Randolf, talking, hiking, or canoeing. He enjoyed the simple things in life like sharing a piece of hard candy halfway through a canoe trip, or a beer after push-mowing his large yard.  Naturally antsy, Bill volunteered at 7 sites in Indianapolis after his retirement in 1997 where he taught children about nature on walks in the woods, was a docent at Conner Prairie and Newfields 100 Acres, a CASA volunteer for youth, or doing science experiments at the Children's Museum. Our family has wonderful memories of vacationing together in the summers in Wisconsin. We will be eternally grateful for the joy he brought to our family.  Bill taught us all to be curious, treasure our outdoors, work hard, and enjoy the simple things in life.

In lieu of flowers, if you’d like to make a contribution in remembrance of Bill, please do so to: Wheeler Mission, P.O. Box 3085, Indianapolis, IN 46206-3085, Wheeler Mission Website or Little Wish Foundation, 3077 E. 96th Street, Ste 210, Carmel, IN 46280, Little Wish Foundation Website.