William Benedict Siemplenski

William Benedict Siemplenski passed away Monday, December 16, 2024, after a long battle with illness. He is survived by his wife Veda, their three children, Janel, Ian and Michelle, and his grandchildren Vivienne, Maxine, Madison, Bennett, and McKenna. 

Originally from Chicago, Bill left home in 1965 to join the Air Force during the Vietnam War. He attended basic training at Lackland Airforce Base in Texas, and often said “he intended never to return.”

The acrid taste of basic training gave way, however, to an affection he developed for flying and anything involving planes. Bill’s bad eyesight kept him from piloting planes, but his mechanical ingenuity proved useful. The Air Force stationed him in Ipswich, England, where he worked on early day flight simulation systems. Unlike many of his air force buddies, Bill never saw combat. His love of tinkering and thick glasses may very well have saved his life. 

It was in Ipswich that he met his wife Veda at a local dance. Veda was only 18 at the time. Never shy, Bill approached Veda and asked her if she knew anyone by the name of Murphy. She said she had stayed with the Murphys in Ireland a few times. He said a fortune teller had told him he would marry a girl who knew somebody by the name of Murphy. Years later, he said it was the best pickup line ever. 

They were wed in Sprowston, England in 1967, but only after Bill convinced his future father-in-law Reginald to let Veda marry him when she turned 19 (a negotiation that involved many pints at the local pub). She wore a pillbox hat and a sleek satin dress from the local Co-Op. 

Bill continued working with machines throughout his career. First, in the burgeoning computer industry in the 1970s where he repaired punch card and vacuum tube computers for Sanders in Minnesota. That job took him and his young family back to England for a brief period. 

They later moved to Texas where Bill worked for Halliburton managing warehouses and equipment distribution for the oil and gas industry. The couple remained in Texas for 44 years. Bill spent the rest of his career working for a fellow Pollack, Nick Malinowski, designing warehouse space and selling the equipment. He retired in 2009. 

Bill had many hobbies throughout the years. He bowled a mean curve ball and coached a youth league. He and Veda joined several bowling leagues — both sported their own shoes, bags, and balls. Bill played ice hockey and tennis in his younger days, switching to pickleball later on. He sailed throughout much of his life. There was even a spate of disco dancing classes, when Bee Gee tunes filled the house. 

He built … everything … model airplanes, computer desks carved out of wood, entire balconies suspended in air — not to mention working tirelessly to convert an entire basement into a living and bedroom in the family’s first, relatively tiny house in Burnsville, Minnesota. 

Later on in life, after he and Veda purchased a condo near Winter Park, Colorado, he learned to ski … sort of … careening down the mountain in a somewhat desperate snowplow with his poles in the air. The city boy began to embrace nature. He kayaked, snow-shoed, and hiked snowy paths. When they retired, he and Veda bought a new condo close to Rocky Mountain National Park and spent summers as park volunteers, manning the welcome centre at Holzwath. 

The mountains brought a new community of retirees with card games, Monday-night Trivia, and Friday-night bingo sessions that saw the whole, tiny town of Grand Lake turn out. A summer camp for seniors, if you like. 

The isolation of Covid masked a creeping cancer called multiple myeloma that was diagnosed in 2021 and led to a steady decline. Veda and Bill moved to Florida in 2023, where Bill battled valiantly for another two years.

He spent his final hour surrounded by family, a pastor, and a dedicated caregiver, Renica. Veda, his wife of 57 years, kissed him on the forehead — and with Auld Lang Syne playing in the background — Bill said goodbye. 

A heartfelt thanks to Emerald Coast Hospice for their help and support during Bill’s final months.

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