William J. Bill Duxbury, age 88, of Wessington, died Monday, February 7, 2005, at the Presbyterian Hospital Center at Albuquerque, New Mexico. His funeral service will be at 10:00 AM Monday, February 14, at First Presbyterian Church at Wessington with Rev. Allen Sager officiating. Burial will be at the Wessington Cemetery. Friends may call Sunday afternoon and evening at the Welter Funeral Home or prior to the service at the church Monday morning. The family will be present from 7:00 to 8:30 PM Sunday evening at the funeral home. William J. Duxbury was born on May 12, 1916, to Fred William and Lillian (Martin) Duxbury. He grew up and attended school at Wessington and graduated from Wessington High School in 1936. He moved to Washington state where he worked in a paper mill for 8 years at Sumner, WA. On March 20, 1939, Bill married Marjorie McGowan at Sumner, WA. In 1944, they returned to South Dakota to the Wessington area and farmed until Bills retirement in 1976. During his farming career he raised registered Hereford cattle. They continued to live on the farm until 2000, when they moved into Wessington. They spent the past 35 years wintering at Apache Junction, AZ. Bill was a member of the Board of Directors of the Virgil Co-op for a number of years, Board of Directors of the South Dakota Wildlife Federation, Rose Hill Sportsmans Club, Rural Firemans Association, active in the building of the Wessington Auditorium, and worked at the South Dakota State Fair for 35 years. He is survived by his wife, Marjorie of Wessington; 1 daughter, Janet (Marvin) Pleinis of McLaughlin, SD; 2 sons, Jerald (JoAnn) Duxbury of Rapid City, and David (Pam) Duxbury of Wessington; 9 grandchildren; 2 step-grandchildren; 7 great grandchildren; 1 sister-in-law, Lois Duxbury of Wessington; and a number of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; 3 sisters, Bernice Johnson, Marie Noyes, and Dorothy Duxbury; and 1 brother, Joy Duxbury.