William Wesley “Bill” Ghan, son of Clyde Ghan and Martha (Kirchhof) Ghan, was born June 23, 1937, in Aurora, Missouri, and departed this life due to injuries from a fall on February 15, 2023, in rural Texas county, near Huggins, Missouri, at the age of 85 years, 7 months, and 22 days.
On February 21, 1963, he was united in marriage to Margaret Ann Davis, and to this union a son was born.
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, Margaret, on November 30, 2006, brother-in-law, George Davis and his wife, Betty.
Bill is survived by his son, Chris Ghan and wife, Kara, of Marshfield, Missouri; grandsons, Joseph Ghan of Springfield, and James Ghan of Marshfield; other relatives and many, many, friends.
He was born in Aurora, Missouri where he graduated from Aurora High School in the Class of 1955. He received a bachelor’s degree from Southwest Missouri State University and taught Industrial Arts class at Norwood, Cabool, and Mansfield Schools for a total of 36 years, retiring in 1995. While at Mansfield, he also taught basic flight classes in the evenings at Missouri State University.
Bill loved to fly and build airplanes and it was on his mind at a young age. When he was a boy, during WWII, he lived with his family in Wichita, Kansas, near the Boeing B-29 plant. He would nail boards together that he could attach to a string and “fly”. He started flying lessons at age seventeen and soloed about a year later. In 1959, he attained his private pilot’s license. During his years of educating students, several airplanes were built in the Industrial Arts classes.
Bill made a profession of faith in Christ at a young age and was a member of the Mansfield United Methodist Church, where he was a faithful and devoted member, always there to help any way that he could. He was also a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 1218. He received many awards including, EAA Aviation Achievement Award (1979), EAA Presidents Award (1983), Missouri House of Representatives Resolution (1985), Industrial Arts Association of Missouri Teacher of the Year (1985), American Industrial Arts Teacher of the Year (1985), Who’s Who Among American Teachers (1988), EAA Homebuilders Hall of Fame (1997), and EAA Major Achievement Award (2004).
In his spare time, he enjoyed hunting, fishing, woodworking, taxidermy, stain glass, painting, and was meticulous at everything that he did.
Bill was a loving husband, father, grandfather, Christian, a caring neighbor, and a friend to everyone. He was a soft-spoken, “Gentle Giant”, who cared deeply about his family, his church and mankind. He touched many, many, lives in his lifetime, and now he is reaping the rewards of a “Good and Faithful Servant”.
