William J. Emeline

** Click weblink above to view video tribute of Bill ** William J. Emeline age 77 of Belle Fourche, died Sunday July 31, 2011 at the Sturgis Regional Hospital, surrounded by his loving family. The funeral service will be held 11am Thursday August 4th, 2011 at the Christian Life Center in Belle Fourche, with Rev. Paul Howard officiating. Visitation will be 5 to 7 pm Wednesday at Funeral Home of the Northern Hills in Belle Fourche. Interment will be held at the Black Hills National Cemetery, near Sturgis, with Military Honors provided by the Belle Fourche Veterans Honor Guard. William James Emeline was born in Malta, Montana on May 21, 1934. He was the son of Levi and Beatrice (Stevens) Emeline. Bill grew up in Malta, where he graduated from high school in 1953. Bill was a good athlete, especially when it came to playing basketball and baseball. He was Captain of his high school basketball team. After high school, he moved to Great Falls Montana where he worked for the U.S. Postal Service. Shortly afterwards, he moved to Chicago IL, where he was awarded his Auto Mechanic Certification from the Chicago Vocational Training Corporation. William served his country in the U.S. Army from 1955 to 1961. Following his service, he lived in California, and later Minnesota where he worked for Chrysler UAW. Bill lived in Scranton ND for several years, where he owned and operated the Main Bar. In 1972 he moved to Lake Geneva WI and worked at the American Motors Plant in Kenosha WI. He retired in 1983. In 1986, Bill moved to Belle Fourche so the he could be closer to the love of his life, Billie Merrill. They were married in 1987 and together they have resided in Belle Fourche all these year. Bill was a kind and very giving man. He will be remembered for how he cared for people, and how he gave much of his time and energy to people. He enjoyed having people come to his home to visit, and sometimes stay for periods of time. Bill had a strong faith in Jesus Christ, and he treasured the Word of God in his heart. He had a great sense of humor, and he always kept people laughing. He was a dearly loved man by his family. He will be greatly missed. William is survived by his wife, Billie of Belle Fourche; sons, Bradley (Brenda) of Zumbrota MN, B.J. (Samantha) of Black Hawk; daughters, Bonnie (Dan) Kingsley of Zumbrota MN, Michelle (T.J.) Trandahl of Spearfish; step-children, Kevin (Tammy) Clem of Belle Fourche, Dena (Kevin) Werlinger of Sturgis; several grandchildren; and 3 sisters, Clara Silver of Great Falls MT, Iva Peterson of Great Falls MT, and Irene (Calvin) Baeth of Power MT; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; 3 brothers; and 2 sisters.