William "Bill" Cowsert

William “Bill” Cowsert, age 81, of East Dubuque, Illinois, previously of Elizabeth, Illinois, passed away Saturday, April 29, 2017 at home with his loving family by his side. A funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at Law-Jones Funeral Home, Elizabeth. A visitation will be held prior to the service from 12:00 – 2:00 p.m. Tuesday at the Funeral Home. Burial and graveside service will be in Pleasant Grove Memorial Park in Murphysboro, Illinois, on Saturday, May 6 at 9:30 a.m.
Bill was born December 17, 1935 in Murphysboro, Illinois, the son of Ollie and Addie (Roberts) Cowsert. He graduated from Murphysboro High School in 1953 and attended Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. He served in the United States Army from 1957-1960. On October 15, 1960, Bill married Frances “Sue” Carruthers in Murphysboro. They raised four children. She passed away July 10, 2003. For the past ten years, Bill shared his life and formed a great relationship with his companion, Hazel Lambert.
Bill worked for the Twin County Service Company before becoming General Manager of the Jo Daviess Service Company. He was active in the community as a member of the Elizabeth Lions Club for forty years, a board member for The Workshop, and was a member of St. Peter Lutheran Church in Dubuque since 2012. Bill also enjoyed working on his farm.
Bill will be dearly missed by his companion, Hazel Lambert of East Dubuque, Illinois; two sons, Patrick (Carol) Cowsert of Wisner, Nebraska and Brad (Lucia) Cowsert of Cypress, Illinois; two daughters, Cindy (Jim Kingsberg) Currie of Hawthorn Woods, Illinois and Jennifer (Karl Knospe) Cowsert of Elkader, Iowa; four grandchildren, Shane, Madeline, Alena, and Matthew; a brother, Robert (Sylvia) Cowsert of Wheaton, Illinois; a sister, Juanita Johnson of Mililani Town, Hawaii; and Hazel’s children, Kellie Jo Lambert of Lexington, Kentucky, James Lambert, Jr. of Woodstock, Georgia, and Tim Lambert of North Yarmouth, Maine. Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Sue, a sister-in-law, Ruth Cowsert, and a brother-in-law, Roy Johnson.
The family would like to thank the nurses at Mercy Hospital and Hospice of Dubuque for their wonderful care. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to St. Peter Lutheran Church of Dubuque, Iowa, or Hospice of Dubuque.