William Henry Grimm Jr.

William “Bill” Henry Grimm Jr., 86, of Waterloo, was called home by the Lord Tuesday, August 10, 2021.

He was born on January 19, 1935 in Waterloo, son of William Henry Sr. and Jeanette Miller Grimm and graduated from East High School in 1952.

He chose to enlist in the United States Army and served honorably during the Korean War from 1953-1955 and was discharged with a rank of Corporal. The years of armed conflict involved some 3.5 million military personnel from more than 19 countries, including 300,000 from the U.S. There were an estimated 5 million casualties, including some 37,000 U.S. servicemen. Bill was awarded the Korean Service Medal, Nation of Defense Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal and R.O.K. Presidential Unit Citation.

Bill married Barbara Jane Kroenecke August 21, 1955, at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Waterloo. She was the love of his life whom he missed dearly every day after her passing in 2013.

He was employed by Waterloo Fire Rescue for 28 years, retiring in 1999 as Captain. During his time there he served on the Hazmat team. He took specialized training to extinguish chemical fires and contributed to the manual used during that time. He also worked at Hoxie Fruit Company and Allied Van Lines prior to joining the fire department.

He was a wonderful, loving father and grandfather to his four daughters and 24 grandchildren. He enjoyed following all of their activities and sports.

Bill was an entrepreneur and had various businesses over the years including Grimm Fencing, Grimm Merchandisers; and he was a former real estate broker and flea market vendor.

He had many interests and hobbies. He loved music and enjoyed playing the harmonica and accordion. He was an avid reader including Popular Mechanics, National Geographic, and Biblical Archeology. He was a self-taught craftsman in woodworking and glass etching and made many beautiful gifts for his family, including signs, lamps, furniture, and jewelry boxes.

He especially loved photography, taking pictures, slides, and movies, documenting every family get-together.

He was a man of faith who loved the Lord.

Bill is survived by four daughters, Tamara (Mike) Risse, Waterloo, Debra (Keith) Bjerk’ Grand Forks’ ND, Patricia (Mike) Webber’ Ankeny’ and Sabrina (Rick) Linkenmeyer’ Waterloo; 9 grandchildren; 8 great grandchildren; 7 great-great grandchildren; and a sister, Janice Rasmussen’ Waterloo.

He is preceded in death by his wife, in 2013; his grandson, Christian Bjerk, in 2012; and a brother-in-law, Gaylon Rasmussen, in 2018.