Bill Herr is an Icon columnist who writes about local sports and his experiences as a nursing home chaplain.

By Betsi Werling 

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Bill Herr at the Bluffton Senior Center, which he visits weekly. I hope you enjoy your 15 minutes with Bill as much as I did. 

Where did you grow up? 

I was born at Bluffton Community Hospital on July 5th, 1939 and grew up on a farm three miles south of Bluffton on Bentley Road. My father, Edgar, was a farmer and I helped him farm. When World War II ended, dad was asked by the state of Ohio, among others, who had a master's degree in agriculture to teach veterans who came back from the war who wanted to farm. 

How did you meet your wife, Gloria? 

My buddy Bernard, who later became the best man in our wedding, worked at Lima Memorial Hospital. He told me, “I would like you to meet a nurse.” So, we set up a time and I went to the hospital. He had me put a white jacket on because I wasn't supposed to go where we were going. I went down the hall to this little room where Gloria worked in Pediatrics. And here comes this beautiful nurse. I was shy, but I figured since she knew Bernard, that if I asked her for a date, she'd probably say yes. That's how I met Gloria in 1964 and we married in 1966. 

Tell me about your career. 

Until I was 80, I farmed. When I graduated from Bluffton College, I was shy, and I thought, I don't know what I want to do. As a junior, my advisor said, “what do you want to do?” I said, “I don't know.” I was nervous about being a teacher so I decided I wanted to go into the service. One day me and my buddy Jack Regal from Beaverdam went on a bus to Columbus to enlist. When it was my turn, I went in to see the doctor and the doctor said, “I see that you have asthma.” I said, “Sir. I grew up on a farm. I've outgrown it.” There was a pause, and he said, “I'm sending you back home.” That's when I started teaching math and science. 

I put my name to teach through the Hancock County Board of Education. It was the middle of the school year and I got a call that said, The Arlington math teacher had a heart attack. Could you fill in? I filled in. I loved it. I loved the students. I loved to experience it. Then I got another call. The Riverdale High School math teacher had a heart attack midyear. I stayed there for 11 1⁄2 years. Then moved over to Bluffton, where I didn’t have to drive as far. I would teach and come home and farm.

How did you become a chaplain? 

After teaching, I got a master of arts and religious communication. I volunteered at Richland Manor nursing home for 22 years and met with men every Monday from 9:30 to 10:30. Then I would drive to Dayton to the United Theological Seminary. 

One day, I got a call from Laura Voth. She said, “Bill, would you like to come be the Chaplain at MMH? We have a chaplain, but he's a senior at Bluffton College. We'll need another one. Would you interview for this?” So I got the job and stayed 24 years. 

How many children and grandchildren do you have? 

Gloria and I have 4 children, 7 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren. One of our daughters suprised us at Easter one year and announced that she was going to have a baby. 

What’s one thing that has changed the most from your childhood to today? 

I’m not sure that it is all that different today, but my parents took me to the Methodist Church, from the time I was little. There were great preachers and I had a lot of good Sunday School Teachers. “Faith” stands for a fantastic adventure in trusting him. 

How did you get involved in writing for the Bluffton Icon? 

I probably called [editor Paula Scott]. I have special memories from sports. And I started three years ago. I wrote fourteen sports columns and fourteen columns from my experience as a chaplain, which were intended to help people who had loved ones with dementia. The goal was to help them connect and make it easier for them to adjust. 

What’s one fond memory? 

When the football team went to the state championship game, I videotaped segments on the news all year. A gentleman from Ohio Northern University who was a wrestling champion helped me make this 30-minute video. We used the song, We are the Champions. That year, during school, the senior class had to vote for their favorite video. It was mine or Michael Jackson’s Thriller. The senior class voted for my video that year. 

POSTSCRIPT
I thoroughly enjoyed my time talking with BIll and he wanted me to leave you with this nugget of wisdom by Jill Baughan. It was the last paragraph on a devotion about prayer. “We can tell people we’ll pray for them when they’re going through a terrible time, and of course that’s encouraging. But encouragement turns into a soul message when we say, “Can I pray for you right now? And the other person actually hears simple, honest words offered to God on his or her behalf. Jill’s prayer at the end of the devotion said, “Dear God, please let me know when my audible words to you can comfort someone in need and remind me that nobody—including you–cares about fancy, only heart.

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15 Minutes with Bill Herr