William W. "Bill" Wallace

Best Dad Ever, King of Dad jokes and puns that could make you groan, a man the President held the door for, William W. “Bill” Wallace, 89, of The Long Community at Highland, and Hickory Lane, Leola, passed away peacefully at the Lebanon VA Medical Center while under the care of hospice on Tuesday, November 1, 2022. Born in Christiana, PA, he was the beloved husband of the late Barbara Roberta Shenk Wallace, with whom he had celebrated 64 years of marriage and who died in 2020 and the son of the late William W. and Florence Donoghue Wallace. Bill graduated from Solanco High School, Class of ’51. He was in the Naval Reserves from 1950-1954 and Active Duty from 1952-1953. He worked as a Purchasing Manager for New Holland Machine, Sperry/Ford/Case New Holland–CNH from 1957–1991, 1993-1997. He also worked as a Bailiff for the Lancaster County Courthouse for 14 years. He was a faithful member of St. John’s Lutheran Church since 1956 where he was a choir member with his wife from 1956–1963, serving as the Music and Worship Director in the early 70s and ran the Food Bank at the Church. He was a 3rd Degree Free and Accepted Mason with the Christiana Lodge. In addition to his beloved Philadelphia Phillies, he was a devoted Philadelphia Eagles fan. He “enjoyed” playing golf with friends and had a long-standing golf/lunch tradition with his father. He attempted to learn to ski with his daughter in the 70s, but after the instructor told him he “Sure did fall well,” he took to reading in the lodge during ski time. While having a “healthy respect” (fear) for horses, he nonetheless routinely carted his daughter and an assortment of 8 & 9-year-old classmates to the weekly summer horse shows at Lancaster Tennis and Riding Club, and spent untold hours at the barn as chauffer for riding lessons, trips to Devon Horse Show and the races at Fair Hill, where his long-shot bet on Battleship Grey finally came across the finish line after horses for the next race had come out on the track. He loved to go fishing and the yearly 1st day of trout season camping trips with buddies were a favorite, along with canoeing on the Conestoga. A long family tradition was vacationing in Ocean Pines from 1981-2014, managing to fit everything his wife had overpacked into his beloved Wallace Wagon Country Squire for the trundle down to OCMD in June and August. Along with other family trips to Grandpa’s Deer Camp in Potter County, the farm in West Virginia, California, Las Vegas, Maine, Key West, England, Ireland, and Belgium, he enjoyed cruises to Bermuda, Nova Scotia and the Caribbean. Although the drive home from Miami to Lancaster by way of Williamsburg, during Hurricane Agnes is not something he wanted to repeat. It was on one of these trips with friends to OCMD in the late 80’s that while stopping for breakfast at Hank’s Place in Chadds Ford, while entering the diner, someone held the door for them to enter. Thinking the man looked familiar, but not able to place from where Dad exchanged pleasantries with him and they wished one another “Good Morning.” Once inside, Dad’s friend said, “You know that was Senator Biden.” He is lovingly survived by his daughter, Margaret E. (Molly) Wallace, Lancaster, PA, sister, Gertrude A. (Trudy) Steffy, Lancaster, PA, Brother in Law, Robert A. Shenk, Lancaster PA, Sister in Law, Betty Shenk, Millersville, PA, nieces, Karen Shenk Hollman, companion of Frank Melvin II, Debra Shenk Fish, (Jim), Joanne Shenk Weidman, (Carl) , Beth Murr, Eldridge, Brenda Murr Lowry, (Dana), Nephews; Robert A. Shenk Jr., (Gail), William Steffy (Deborah), Edward Steffy (Karen). He was preceded in death by a sister, Jane Wallace Murr, sister-in-law, Evelyn Haig Shenk, three brothers-in-law, Calvin Murr, William A. Shenk, Ralph Steffy, and two nephews, William A. Shenk, Jr. and Robert Murr. Relatives and friends are invited to attend Bill’s Memorial Service at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 223 W. Orange Street, Lancaster, PA on Tuesday, November 22, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. with The Rev. Margaret Kassees officiating. The family will receive friends at the Church on Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service. The interment will follow the service at Conestoga Memorial Park with Military Honors rendered by the Red Rose Veterans Honor Guard. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to the Lebanon VA Medical Center, Attn: Eagles Heights Hospice, 1700 South Lincoln Avenue, Unit 1-4B, Lebanon, PA 17042. The family appreciated their genuine care during this time.