William “Bill” Anthony Bultas, 83 of Springfield, passed away on July 1, 2024, at his home surrounded by family.
Bill was born on December 28, 1940 to parents William Bultas and Magdalen (Steger) Bultas, in St. Louis, Missouri. As the only boy among the eight siblings, Bill’s sisters point out that as the only son, he always received “a bit” of special treatment.
Bill attended Mercy High School in St. Louis, Missouri and graduated in 1958. After a couple of years in the workforce, selling bibles door to door and running mail at Anheuser-Busch, Bill enrolled at Quincy College in Quincy, Illinois. While there, he enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics in 1965. Following graduation, Bill attended Officer Candidate School and received his commission in the United States Navy December of that same year.
Bill was married to Janice Fitzgerald in 1965. Bill and Janice lived in San Francisco for several years before returning to Missouri and subsequently parting ways. Two sons were born in this union, William Fitzgerald Bultas and James Thomas Bultas.
Bill’s military career included three years of sea duty in support of operations in Vietnam. He served aboard the USS-Pictor (AF-54), and the USS Lexington (CV-16). During this service he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with one Bronze Star. Bill left active duty in December of 1968 and continued his career in the United States Navy Reserve until retiring as a Commander in 1983.
After Bill’s service in the Navy, he returned to his education enrolling at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois where he received his Master’s of Science in Economics in 1971. He then enrolled at Culver-Stockton College in Canton, Missouri, earning his Missouri Teaching certification in 1972. Bill joined the Internal Revenue Service in the fall of 1972. Bill’s career with the IRS included impactful years as an Investigator where his diligence, integrity, and good-natured humor were highly valued.
Bill never quit learning. During his time with the IRS, Bill took night classes at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield where he received a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting in 1983. Bill also completed coursework to become a Certified Public Accountant, studied handwriting and body posture analysis, and up until his passing was actively working on learning Spanish.
While earning his third degree and during his illustrious IRS career, Bill met and fell head over heels for his great love, Ester Marie (Townsend) Bultas and they married in October, 1982. This marriage blended two families (happily adding Trafton and Davis Creemer) and with four young boys in tow, the newlyweds set out on adventures to both coasts, many national parks, and family visits all over the country.
Anyone that knew Bill knew of his love for soccer. Along with playing for Quincy College where he was a member of the soccer team during their inaugural season (an undefeated season), Bill was also a coach and an avid fan. Bill coached at Jarrett Junior High, Parkview High School, and Saint Agnes High School along with several recreational teams over the years.
Bill retired from the IRS in 1999 and thus they set out on the next phase of life: hiking trips and grandchildren! Short walks downtown for coffee became day hikes across the United States. By the end of 2013 they had hiked in all 50 states as well as several provinces in Canada. Each trip was carefully planned and logged in a travel notebook for future reference. This love of hiking was shared with a slew of grandchildren as each one in turn got bundled up into the buggy to “go downtown and mess around.” Thousands of afternoons were spent running sticks down metal fences, looking for trains or other large fun equipment, or trying to find that perfect spot for a lunch that definitely included a scoop of ice cream.
Bill was also an avid enthusiast of various sports and activities, including, tennis, table tennis, basketball, swimming, Goju-ryu karate, Tai Chi, and dancing (often combining those last three). These hobbies not only kept him active but also allowed him to connect with people of all walks of life.
William was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Jinny Smith. He leaves behind his loving wife, Ester Bultas; sons, William F. Bultas, James (Stormy) Bultas; stepsons, Trafton (Kerrie) Creemer, Davis (Melisa) Creemer, former daughter-in-law Kit Creemer; his grandchildren, William R. Bultas, Drew Marks, Flynn Bultas, Oliver Creemer, Sadie Creemer, Lindsey Courtney, Jade Seely, Judith Creemer, Autumn Seely, Ben Creemer, and Lilith Creemer; and sisters Maggie Talbott, Marci Schulze, Lucy Sinopole, Jo Myers, Jeanne Mathes, and Cecilia Collopy.
Visitation and Services will be held at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, located at 1947 East Seminole Street, Springfield, Missouri on July 13th. Visitation will begin at 9:00 AM and Bill’s Celebration of Life will begin at 11:00 AM. Interment at Maple Park Cemetery will immediately follow.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Nature Conservancy, honoring Bill's love for the environment and wildlife preservation.
The family would like to express their gratitude to St. Croix Hospice and Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home for their compassionate assistance during this difficult time.