William Wayne Valigura, 73, of Grain Valley, MO, passed away Thursday, October 27, 2022, at The Villages of Jackson Creek Memory Care Center in Independence, MO, after battling Alzheimer’s Disease.
Bill was born on September 27, 1949, in Topeka, KS, to Edmund and Geneva (Feldhausen) Valigura. He attended grade school in Frankfort, KS, and graduated from Topeka West High School in Topeka, KS. He met and married Rose Ann Schultejans in 1971. They had one daughter, Amy. They later divorced. He married Barbara (Cricket) Turner in 2001. After high school, Bill spent his summers working on combine crews for wheat harvest in southern Kansas and Oklahoma. He attended Kansas State University for a short time before enlisting in the Navy. He served as a Navy Seabee during the Vietnam War and was in the Naval Reserves after his return. He joined the electrical lineman apprenticeship program. He worked his entire career as a lineman and became an expert at construction of electrical substations locally and across the United States. He was passionate about his work and enjoyed mentoring new lineman until he retired in 2018. In his spare time, Bill enjoyed building model railroad trains, hunting and fishing. His competitive side always surfaced during some Hearts card games every year during the holidays. He enjoyed watching sporting games of his daughter and grandchildren as they grew up. He was a big fan of Kansas State and a season ticket holder for the Kansas City Royals. He had a friendly smile and always enjoyed striking up a conversation with whomever he met.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Bill is survived by his wife, Barbara, of Grain Valley, MO; daughter Amy (Jay) Bokelman of Overland Park, KS; granddaughter Macie Bokelman of Kansas City, MO; grandson Jacob Bokelman of Manhattan, KS; brother Ronald Valigura of Topeka, KS; step-children Angela Bradshaw, Ginger Poe, Bridget Walters, and Jeffrey Turner. He also has many nieces, nephews, friends and co-workers who will miss his smile too.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, November 5, 2022 at 12PM at Royer Funeral Home in Grain Valley, MO. The family will receive friends beginning at 11AM until the service begins at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to: Barbara Valigura, c/o Royer Funeral Home, 100 Royer Lane, Grain Valley, MO, 64029. The family will direct those contributions to a memorial of their choosing.
Obituary submitted by family.
Arrangements: Royer Funeral Home, Grain Valley, MO 816-847-4441
Greg Parish
1 Nov 2022First met Bill in Topeka when he lived next door to a friend on Auburn Rd. Always enjoyed being around him. He had an infectious smile and was a man who truly enjoyed his work. Walked a lot of miles with him hunting pheasants in western Kansas and fished with him in Canada. Rest In Peace Bill.
Russ Cole
1 Nov 2022I really enjoyed sharing stories with Bill on our pheasant bunts in Western KS and on our Canadian fishing trips. Hope he’s still smiling in heaven.
JIM COLLINS
3 Nov 2022Made several pheasant hunting trips to Western Kansas with Bill. An 8-hour drive, in the middle of the night, gives you plenty of time to converse. Seems he had a story for every county road we passed out west where he either built a substation or combined a field in his younger days. He loved his job and living out of a suite case more than most will understand. When his weekend finally started on Friday afternoon, he looked so forward to getting home to Cricket and maybe seeing Amy and the grandkids. 300- or 400-mile drive for a brief 48-hour visit was Bill’s life and routine. He loved it.
RIP Bill