Judge William (Bill) Ralph Hass passed away on December 30, 2019 at the age of 83 years.
Bill was born on January 28, 1936 in Springfield, Missouri to Ralph L. Hass and Angie V. (Morse) Hass.
His childhood was lived happily in Thayer, Missouri and at the age of 17 he started dating the love of his life, Helen Jeanne Best. Bill graduated from Thayer High School in 1954, Southwest Missouri State College Springfield in 1958 and the University of Arkansas School of Law Fayetteville in 1962.
On January 10, 1959 he married Jeanne and to this union were born two daughters, Mary Helen and Melissa Anne and one son, William Thomas. Bill and Jeanne shared nearly 61 years together.
After having served two years in the United States Army at Fort Hood, Texas, Bill began his legal career in 1964 in private practice with the Niblock Law Firm in Fayetteville, Arkansas. In 1967 Bill and his family moved to Little Rock for him to serve on the Arkansas Attorney General’s staff.
Bill and Jeanne returned to Thayer in 1968 with Bill in the private practice of law and Jeanne operating Best Insurance Company. In 1990 Bill was elected the Associate Circuit Judge for Oregon County, Missouri, the position he served in until 2003 at which time he retired from the full-time position of judge. Bill and Jeanne then moved to Springfield where he continued serving as a Senior Judge. He served as a part-time senior judge for the State of Missouri from 2003 until 2017 when he decided his physical health prohibited him from further service to the State.
Bill served as a member of the Junior Chamber of Commerce, Elks, Rotary, American Legion, and Lions Club. He was also a proud member of the Kappa Alpha Order since 1956. Bill was a member of the Arkansas Bar, Missouri Bar, 37th Circuit Bar Association, Springfield Metropolitan Bar Association and the Committee of Missouri Senior Judges.
He was an associate-member of Wesley United Methodist Church in Springfield, Missouri and a member of All Saints Episcopal Church in West Plains, Missouri.
Bill is survived by his wife, Jeanne, two daughters and sons-in-law, Mary and Jeff Schrag and Melissa and Tim Myers, one son, William T. Hass, three grandchildren, Andrea (Myers) Neph and husband Elliot, Ashley (Kimberling) Casad and husband Cameron, Andrew Myers and wife Jaime, three great-grandchildren, Ezra Neph, Lucy Neph and Merritt Casad, and three cousins, Hannah R. (Plochberger) Gidcomb, Barbara (Plochberger) Martin, Cora Evelyn Morse, and a host of dear relatives from the Best family via his wife, Jeanne.
Bill was a loving husband, father and grandfather. He enjoyed a life well lived, full of love and service to others.
A memorial service will be held at Wesley United Methodist Church in Springfield, Missouri at 11:00am 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 10:00am on Saturday, January 11, 2020. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the 37th Judicial Circuit CASA in West Plains Missouri (417)255-2100, the William R. Hass Scholarship Fund at MSU-WP (417) 255-7240or to the charity of the donor’s choice.
