William Alward

William "Bill" Alward, 70, of Ellsworth died March 28, 2015 at McLaren Northern Michigan in Petoskey.

He was born to Maynard and Pearl (DeVries) Alward on September 5, 1944 in Charlevoix.

On July 2, 1965 he married Sandra Jansen in Ellsworth where they lived. They owned and operated Archway Motel in Charlevoix for over ten years. Bill also worked at Freedman in Charlevoix, Lamina in Bellaire and drove bus for Charlevoix Public Schools for over twenty years. He enjoyed farming, fishing, hunting, spending time with his grandkids, and Poker nights in the garage with his friends.

Surviving are his wife Sandy; children Billy (Dulcie) Alward of Ellsworth and Amy (Kevin) Russell of Ellsworth; grandchildren Lexi Lambert, Katy Lambert, Tucker Alward, Layken Alward and Brenden Russell; sisters Shirley (Chester) Farrell of Ellsworth, Polly Strange of Ellsworth, Betty Alward of Grawn; brother Ray (Ruth Tessmer) Alward of East Jordan; sister-in-law Jean Alward of Ellsworth; many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Maynard and Pearl Alward, sister Donna Heeres, brother Jerry Alward, and nephew Jeffrey Alward.

Friends may call at the Ellsworth Christian Reformed Church from 2 to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 1, 2015. The funeral service will follow at 4 p.m. with the Rev. Alex Snider officiating. Burial will be in Ellsworth Cemetery.

For those wishing to make memorial contributions the family suggests the Future Farmers of America (FFA) at Ellsworth Community School in honor of Bill's love of farming.

Arrangements were made by Hastings Funeral Home in Ellsworth, online at www.hastingsfuneral.com