William W. "Bill" Wells

William (Bill) Wylie Wells died Wednesday morning 1/3/24.  He was 79. He was a devoted father whose love and support knew no bounds. A loving husband, his dear wife Linda was at his side when he passed.  They fought a valiant 14-year battle against Bill’s multiple myeloma.  The winning combination of Bill’s positive outlook and Linda’s devoted care served as an inspiration to all and added joyous years to Bill’s life.  He enjoyed Christmas with family and then his health rapidly deteriorated and family rallied to his side.

Friends expressed their love in person and electronically.  Linda was able to read some of these to him before he died,  they give a glimpse into the life of this remarkably kind and gentle man. Some of these reflections are quoted here;

“Every friend Bill ever made was his friend until the day he died.”

“I’m glad I did say to Bill that I just may have never met a better man. Now I wish I’d not used ‘may have.’ “

“God bless Bill and all whose lives have been touched by his goodness.”

“I remember Bill as the kind, competitive, humorous guy I played basketball, tennis-baseball, and other weird games, with.  Bill was one of the ‘older guys’ who were role models for friendship, sportsmanship, and treating everyone fairly.”

“I am so blessed to have him as my best friend for the past 60+ years.”

“Bill just glowed with goodness.”

“He was a skilled and encouraging golf partner, a special friend, and one of the most encouraging and determined people I ever known.”

Bill had a delightful sense of humor.  He opened his 2006 wedding toast saying, “Other than fulfilling my lifelong dream of becoming a mattress salesman, the best thing that’s ever happened to me was having Linda in my life.” 

Bill was born in West Plains, MO on June 21, 1944, the first and favorite child of Charlie and Helen Wells.  He spent the first nine years of his life in Bowling Green, MO. and the next nine in Prairie Village, KS, enjoying a blend of idyllic small town and leafy suburban upbringing. He then matriculated to Coe College in Cedar Rapids, IA where he made lifelong, lasting friendships with a substantive, yet fun-loving, cast of lovable goofballs. His professional life started in the world of department stores, first with Dayton Hudson in Minneapolis, then to Strauss in Youngstown, and finally to Miller’s in his beloved Knoxville. He made a career shift to the wholesale side  becoming a rep for Sealy then later Serta Mattress.

Planting roots in the Knoxville area, Bill became a fan of all Univ. of Tn. sports, especially the Lady Vols basketball team. He was a life long fan of the Kansas City teams and his beloved Royals and Chiefs. He was an MLB follower first, but enjoyed football, basketball and sports in general.

Bill was a great athlete, he was on his high school tennis team that won three state championships, class 6a. Bill played on the Coe College basketball team that won the NCAA division II national championship in 1965.  He played third base on the Coe baseball team, and he quarterbacked his Lambda Chi Alpha intramural football team. He enjoyed coaching his kids teams when they were young.

Golf was his true and lasting passion. He played on a regular basis locally, but also enjoyed trips to play courses across the country and to Ireland and Scotland. This past summer he was able to play in the 50^th Conklin classic, an annual gathering of Coe Lambda Chis and friends, perhaps his favorite event of the year.

He was on a flight out of Knoxville several years ago, and engines failed. As they circled around to return to TYS and over the former Pine Lakes golf course, Bill thought that his first “hole in one” might be from an airplane. His humor never left, even in the final hours.

In a small way Bill was a civil rights advocate. In 1965, the Coe College chapter of Lambda Chi Alpha pledged an African American student. For this decent deed, the national revoked their charter. Bill was president of the chapter at the time, made trips to Miami and KC, and got the decision reversed, making one of many small steps forward.

Bill was an avid reader of best sellers, and historical biographies. He had a passion for anything produced by Ken Burns. He kept his wits about him starting each day with Sudoku, even the more difficult weekend puzzles.

Bill was an active member of First United Methodist Church Maryville. 

He was preceded in death by father Charles Wells , mother Helen Wells . He is survived by his wife of 18 years, Linda Kerr Wells of Friendsville; daughter Janeen Wells of Knoxville; son John Wells and his wife Penny of Knoxville and their adult children Shelby and Skylar Breece; brother Chuck Wells and his wife Judy of Mission Hills, KS; sister Sally Wells of Leawood, KS; his Welsh and Foltyn cousins; the Coe Lambda Chi brotherhood; many nieces, nephews, grand nieces, grand nephews, and in laws. Words cannot express how much he will be missed by family and friends. A celebration of life memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 17, 2024 at 2:00 pm at the First United Methodist Church of Maryville 804 Montvale Station Rd, Maryville, Tn. The Visitation will follow from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Memorials may be made to the church or to the Knoxville Rescue Mission.