Joseph E. "Bill" Calhoun

Joseph E. “Bill” Calhoun, 96, of Owensboro, passed away Monday, July 10, 2023, at the Heartford House while under the care of Hospice of Western Kentucky. He was born May 21, 1927, in Reed, KY, to the late James Paul Calhoun and Irene Clements Calhoun. The youngest of eleven children, he was cared for by his oldest sister, who sang him to sleep with the song “Where Have You Been Billy Boy, Billy Boy.” Once she started calling him “Billy,” the name just stuck, and so “Bill” is how his family and friends know him.

Along with his parents, he was also preceded in death by his first wife of 53 years, Shirley Jeanne Rumage Calhoun; his son, Stephen Lynn Calhoun; and siblings, Everett Calhoun, Eula Calhoun, Lillian Calhoun, Muriel Mattingly, Mary Clayton Alvey, Bessie Alexander, Bernard Calhoun, Arthur Calhoun, Estelle Murphy, and Robert Calhoun.

Bill is survived by his wife, Mae Powers; daughter, Diane Calhoun-French; stepson, Randy Powers (Rosanna); two stepdaughters, Becky Powers Sengenberger (Rick) and Angie Powers Howard (Steve); nine grandchildren; nine great grandchildren; and several generations of nephews and nieces.

After graduating from St. Alphonsus High School in St. Joseph, Kentucky, in 1945, Bill was drafted into the army and stationed in Germany on active duty until 1948. He then enrolled in electronics school in Louisville, returning to Owensboro to marry his high school sweetheart.  Bill and Shirley lived in Louisville during their whole working lives. After having spent twenty-two years at United Electronics Institute and eighteen years at Business Office Supply/Intecon, Bill retired with Shirley to Owensboro in 1995.  Some years after Shirley’s death in 2002, in the process of selling his house in Owensboro to return to Louisville, Bill met Mae, who purchased it. They married in 2007 and he moved back to Owensboro, returning to live with her in the same property he had sold to her until his death.

Bill was active in all the parishes in which he resided, serving as a lector, Eucharistic minister, and occasionally a cantor’s helper.  He was an avid worker of crossword puzzles, always completing them strictly according to number order and in pen, and he loved words and language.  He delighted in correcting his English teacher daughter’s occasional lapse! He will be remembered for his quiet demeanor, his wry sense of humor, his steadfastness, and his love of family.

The funeral Mass for Bill will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 15, 2023, at Precious Blood Catholic Church with Fr. Suneesh Mathew officiating. Burial will follow in St. Alphonsus Catholic Church Cemetery. Visitation will be held Friday from 4 until 8 p.m. at Glenn Funeral Home and Crematory with prayers at 5:30 p.m.

Expressions of sympathy may take the form of contributions to Hospice of Western Kentucky.

Memories and condolences for the family of Bill Calhoun may be left at www.glenncares.com