Born on September 21, 1940, in Akron, Washington County, Colorado, Bill was the eldest son of Budd Justice and Ruth (Brannan) Justice. Bill grew up in Akron and went to Akron schools.
In his teens he learned to box in the basement of the Catholic Church. He took a year off from high school and boxed in the Denver area as a Golden Glove. He totally enjoyed that time but was a little disappointed that he "just couldn't beat that one kid". Also, as a teen, he learned to play pool with his mentor, Elmer Brown. Eventually, Elmer was just about the only person he couldn't whip.
Bill came back to Akron and finished high school, graduating with his brother Bert in 1959.
Bill joined the US Army in 1963, serving two separate tours of duty. He spent the major portion of his first tour overseas. He enjoyed traveling to Germany on leave, using his fluent German to learn about their culture.
The last year of his second tour was spent primarily behind enemy lines in both North Korea and North Vietnam, gathering intelligence to shut down arms shipments. Although he received numerous commendations, including 2 Bronze Stars, the thing Sergeant Justice was most proud of was that he never lost a man on any of his missions. He was honorably discharged on August 31, 1970.
On January 4, 1973, Bill married the love of his life, Lila (Hober) VanMatre. Along with a new wife came three stepdaughters, Donna, Lois, and Patty Jo. Bill worked several years as a stocker at Akron Supermarket where he was also in charge of the carry out boys. For most, this was their first job, and Bill taught them well how to have a good work ethic.
As he neared retirement, Bill worked at Pinneo feedlot as a night watchman. There, he put his sharpshooter skills to use keeping coyotes away permanently.
Bill took his time off very seriously. He was always out to win and "gave a few lessons" along the way. Bill loved for anyone to challenge him to a game of pool. He may have let you win a game or maybe two; but in the end, he would just clear the table and be done. He enjoyed bowling on men's leagues and the mixed couple leagues with Lila. Many hours were spent in Gray's Pool Hall playing pitch or poker.
Throughout his life, he was an avid hunter, adding ammo reloading to his skill set over time. One year he even decided that he would teach a few young women some self-defense. He had a black belt in Karate and figured this would not be an issue. Several lessons in, and one of the high school girls broke his hand with a kick.
Bill was definitely one of a kind. As someone recently put it, he is a legend and will always be remembered.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents; stepfather Alan Dickson; wife Lila; brothers Bert Justice, Brian Justice and Colby Dickson, sisters Marilyn (Brannan) Kelley and Kathy (Dickson) Wells; and granddaughter K'Dee Keim.
Left to mourn Bill's passing are stepdaughters Donna Leach, Lois Graton and Patty Jo Baker; grandchildren Robert Keim, Kenneth Graton, Tia (Graton) Mitchell, Krystal (Baker) Monson and Kevin Baker; great-granddaughter Zoey Peeples; sister Barbara (Dickson) Boltjes and aunt Jan Felt. He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and good friends.
Military rites will be held at the Akron Cemetery Gazebo on Friday, May 24, 2024, at 11 am.
Obituary published on Legacy.com by Bowin Funeral Home on May 13, 2024.