OREGON COUNTY — Former area judge William Ralph Hass has died.
Hass passed away on December 30 at the age of 83 years.
He was born on January 28, 1936 in Springfield to Ralph and Angie Hass, and grew up in Thayer. After graduating Thayer High School in 1954, he graduated Southwest Missouri State College in Springfield in 1958 and the University of Arkansas School of Law in Fayetteville in 1962.
On January 10, 1959 he married Jeanne and shortly enlisted in the Army, where he served for two years. He began his legal career in 1964 in Fayetteville, Arkansas before returning to Thayer in 1968, where Bill practiced law and Jeanne ran Best Insurance Company.
In 1990 Bill was elected the Associate Circuit Judge for Oregon County, which he served in until 2003. Bill and Jeanne then moved to Springfield where he continued serving as a Senior Judge until 2017.
A memorial service will be held at Wesley United Methodist Church in Springfield, Missouri at 11 am on Friday, January 10, 2020 and a celebration of life service at Hass-Darr Hall located on the campus of Missouri State University-West Plains at 10 am on Saturday, January 11. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the 37th Judicial Circuit CASA in West Plains, the William R. Hass Scholarship Fund at Missouri State University-West Plains, or to the charity of the donor’s choice.
