William Joe "Bill" Hutka

Mr. Hutka was born in Temple to Henry B. Hutka, Sr. and Frances Hejl Hutka. He graduated from Temple High School. He has been married to his loving wife, JoAnne, for twenty five years. He worked at the Veterans Administration hospital in Temple for thirty three years and retired as the chief of supply. He was a lifelong member of the SPJST Lodge in Academy where he was actively involved and held numerous leadership positions. Bill was a Master Mason and was recently awarded his 60 year membership pin. Known to most as Bill, and to others as Willy, he was a loving father, husband, and grandad who loved and put his family above all things. Bill was the true self-made man; as a young boy living next to the railroad depot, he would buy candy and then sell it to the troops that came in on the trains. He would also give shoe shines for a nickel. He would often reminisce about the times as a newspaper boy for the Temple Daily Telegram. Perhaps the thing that he most enjoyed was his love for music and dance. If he wasn't up dancing to his favorite polkas or waltzes, his foot would be tapping to the beat. Later in life, he developed an affection for snow skiing and had treasured memories of numerous ski trips with his family. Undoubtedly, his most prized possession was his ranch in Gatesville, Texas, where so many friends and family were warmly welcomed for love and enjoyment of the beauty and nature of wildlife. He was an avid outdoorsman and deer hunter.

Bill was preceded in death by sisters Evelyn and Frances, brothers Albert, Sonny, and Johnny and his oldest son Steve whom he so dearly missed.

Survivors include his wife JoAnne and two sons, Brady Hutka and his wife Diane, and Mike Hutka and his wife Jana, and sister Shirley McCrea and her husband Don. He adored his nine grandchildren Celeste, Danielle, Max, Trinity, Brandy, Christopher, Spencer, Grayson, Avery and eight great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society specifically for the research and cure of Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS).

www.cancer.org/cancer/myelodysplastic-syndrome.html