William "Bill" Francis Chittenden

William “Bill” Francis Chittenden, 91, passed away on January 12, 2022 after a short illness. He was born on July 14, 1930 in Marshfield, MO to Ward and Bessie Chittenden. Bill graduated from Carthage High School in 1949. After high school he attended Southwest Missouri State College for 2 years. Bill returned to Carthage and met his wife, Billie (Bowman) Chittenden, who survives. They were married for 69 years. Bill enjoyed growing up in Carthage with three brothers. Bill had lots of stories of the frequent shenanigans he and his brothers would get into. In school, Bill excelled in track and football. Bill served in the Naval Reserve for 3 years. He was denied active duty due to a heart murmur. He applied a second time for active duty and was again denied due to his murmur. During his time in the reserves Bill received the Honor Man award. This award is given for superior performance during basic military training. Bill worked as a draftsman at Carthage Marble for 20 years. He went on to work as a draftsman at Carthage Water & Electric plant for 20 years before retiring in 1994. He was the oldest living CWEP retiree. Bill enjoyed 28 years of retirement. He spent most of his time fishing for crappie, the king of fish, according to him. Bill became known as the “go to guy” for tips on where the crappie were hiding at Stockton Lake. He enjoyed turkey and deer hunting and was able to sharpshoot a deer as recently as last November. He also enjoyed tomato gardening, traveling and spending time with his family. Bill was one of the biggest blood donor contributors in MO history. He possessed a very sought after blood type of O negative. Only 7 % of the population have this blood type. He never hesitated to roll up his sleeve and donate. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers, James, Ward and George, daughter Cindy Davis, son Jim Chittenden and granddaughter Chelsey Beavers. Bill is survived by his wife, Billie, daughter Liz Payne, daughter-in-law Debbie Chittenden, son-in-law David Payne, 7 grandchildren, 13 great grandchildren and 2 great, great grandchildren. Bill was a member of the Church of Christ. A celebration of life will be held 1:00 p.m., Saturday, January 22, 2022, at The Gaderian in Carthage, Missouri. In remembrance of Bill’s life, contributions may be made to Pancreatic Cancer Action Network at pancan.org. Online condolences may be sent at www.ulmerfh.com. Arrangements are under the direction of the Ulmer Funeral Home.

William "Bill" Francis Chittenden

July 14, 1930 - January 12, 2022