William Charles Blaskovich

William Charles Blaskovich passed away on April 8, 2013 at 91 years, after living a long life as a devoted husband, father and friend to many.

Bill was born in a coal camp on the banks of the Des Moines River in Northeastern Dallas County, Iowa. He was the fourth of five sons and three daughters of Opal and Jack Blaskovich. His parents immigrated to the US from central Croatia and joined others from their homeland to make a life in Central Iowa. The family moved to Slater, Iowa, where Bill received his education through High School. He was a member of Slater High’s basketball and baseball teams and he graduated from Slater High in 1939. Bill loved flying and volunteered for the Air Force but was not accepted; however, in March, 1944 he was drafted into the army. Unlike his brothers, he was not shipped off to war due to a knee injury that occurred while playing softball on the base. In May, 1946 he was honorably discharged.

Bill held several odd jobs after high school, including coal miner, cream truck driver and typist at Camp Dodge, Iowa. Bill began working for General Motors in a parts warehouse in Des Moines, Iowa, and continued a storied career with GM’s Chevrolet Motor Division. He held several successive managerial positions in the Des Moines Zone office and retired after 38 years of service. With GM, he spent nearly three decades traveling across the state of Iowa visiting Chevy dealers, and he was well known by anyone involved in Chevrolet in that area. After retiring, Bill worked part time at dealerships and he kept engaged and up-to-date with the automobile industry until his passing.

Bill met his future wife, Mary, in Des Moines at a Young Democrats party. Their courtship took interesting turns. Bill came from a big Catholic family with parents from Croatia while Mary was from a small Methodist family of Irish and English descent. Mary and Bill dated for a few years and, after saving $100, the two were married in Des Moines and honeymooned in Omaha. Mary and Bill had two children, Mark and Jane, and raised their family in Des Moines.

Bill was handy with small engines and kept a garage full of lawn mowers, mini bikes, and snow blowers. After a winter snow, Bill would sometimes get up early and plow the sidewalks of his entire city block. He might be caught mowing a neighbor’s yard. He gave neighbor kids rides on his motorcycles. Bill was also a Scout leader and traveled to Philmont Scout Ranch to lead a group of boys on a 10-day hike in the mountains. After Bill retired, Mary and Bill traveled the world on freighter ships, and they kept a huge map in their living room with pins and yarn connecting their many adventures around the globe. The two explored to Europe, Africa, Asia, and South America, from Macchu Piccu to the Nile to the Great Wall of China and Calcutta, India. They ventured into territories thought to be unfit for tourists, bringing home treasures like hand-sculpted figurines and small gifts from indigenous peoples. One of their favorite things to do was bring their grandkids treasures from faraway countries.

Bill’s wife, Mary, was paralyzed for the last 10 years due to a degenerative condition with her back, and she fought progressive stages of Alzheimer’s during the last five years of her life. During this time, Bill cooked and performed most of the housework for the family, while they had 24x7 in-home care for Mary. During the last years of his life, while Mary was in a nursing home, Bill lived with his daughter, Jane and her family. Bill was a devoted husband and father. Additionally, he was a good friend to many. It was not unusual for a grocery store clerk or a bank teller to say, “Oh, I know your father.” Those who met him, even once, always spoke fondly of him.

Mary, Bill’s wife, preceded him in death in September 2012. Bill is survived by his sister, Mary Doyle; two children, Mark Blaskovich and Jane Hatch; four grandchildren, John Blaskovich, Sarah Hanna, Emily and William Hatch; and one great-grandchild, Ava Blaskovich.

A funeral service was held on Monday, April 15, 2013 at 11:00 AM at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church and there will be a graveside service at Glendale Cemetery in Des Moines, Iowa on Friday, April 26, 2013 at 11:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers please make any memorial contributions to the Alzheimer's Association: 120 S. Central Expy McKinney, Texas 75070, 972-542-3231.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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