William “Bill” Calvert, (just call me Bill) was born in Altadena, California on October 23,1943. At age seven he entered an orphanage which supported 80 children and one “Aunt Cathy”. He was able to become an Eagle Scout and at age 13 earned the coveted Aviation Merit Badge. That accomplishment influenced his entire life and was the first of many to come.
Bill played as a receiver for the University of Georgia football team, then voluntarily joined the Army during the Vietnam War. Once released honorably, he utilized the G.I. Bill to pursue his childhood dream to fly. He worked as a lifeguard on the beach at Key Biscayne, the Richard Nixon compound, to support flight training. Eventually his first assignment was to fly cargo to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. He was delivering the pipe for a construction project called The Pipeline on the North Slope.
Subsequently, Bill continued to fly cargo, building flight hours and experience, living in Puerto Rico, Belem, Brazil, Barbados and other interesting cities in South America. He ultimately was hired by Ozark Airlines, a regional carrier based in St. Louis, Missouri. He advanced through the ranks to the position of Captain.
Bill received many accolades for his safety record which included a successful landing having lost an engine which actually fell off the plane. He also was lauded for commanding a jet with a galley fire as reported by the St. Louis Post Dispatch. His colleagues at Ozark all remain close friends to this day.
In 1986, Trans World Air Airlines, a global carrier merged with Ozark and it was still made possible that Bill remained as the captain to fly the St Louis Cardinals Baseball Team. Bill flew the team with many adventures and two World Series games for five years. Bill clocked over 17,000 flight hours.
Upon retirement Bill continued to be active, enjoying football, basketball and travel especially to the big island of Hawaii.
A love for Butte, Montana developed in visiting the Mollish family in 1992, and a passion for snowboarding developed. He won a race at age 54 at Discovery Basin competing against 30-year-old men. Again, he made the front page of a newspaper, The Montana Standard.
In the last four years Bill has made the Mining City his home. He was a great booster of the Montana Tech football team. Everywhere Bill went he made diverse friends, the firefighters, policemen, people in shops and restaurants. He enjoyed the Belmont and Hanging Five for lunch.
Bill is survived by his son, Patrick and three grandchildren, daughter Chelsea, both of Nashville, Tennessee. Michael, the son of his deceased daughter Kim, and his sister in law, Susan McMurray both of Marietta, Georgia. He will be sadly missed by Mrs. Mary Mollish and her daughter Anne who are grateful and treasure the perpetual love they share with him.
Funeral Services will be held Friday, May 20, 2022 at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 2300 Florence Ave., Butte, MT, beginning at 11:30 a.m. A reception will follow the service in the church hall. The service will be livestreamed on the Gloria Dei Lutheran Church Facebook page. A graveside service and burial for Bill will be held at a future date.
Please visit below to offer the family a condolence or share a memory of William.
Axelson Funeral and Cremation Services has been privileged to care for William and his family.
Service Schedule
Funeral Service
11:30 a.m.
Friday May 20, 2022
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
2300 Florence Ave.
Butte, MT 59701
Reception
Immediately Following Service
Friday May 20, 2022
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church
2300 Florence Ave.
Butte, MT 59701
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LeeRoy DeJohn says
My sincere condolence, Bill, was an amazing person, I loved talking with him at The Belmont, the stories of his life were amazing and I could listen to him all day. Bill, always had a smile on his face and he was a true gentleman. I was honored to meet him, you do not find many great people like him anymore.
May his memories live on, GOD BLESS YOU and watch over you.
randall j reinker says
There are certain people in life that you find most intersting. Bill was was of those in that catagory for me. He was a unique blend of extreme intensity and grace. He flourished even though he had been dealt an early difficult beginning. He took me on my first “straight and level” instruction. I regret having lost touch. I can still hear his laugh – hah, hah, hah, HAH.
Richard Bud Fuchs says
So sorry Captain that we didn’t have a few more chats about flying and life. Thank you for being friends. RIP.
Capt R Bud Fuchs
OZA TW AA
Joe Bynum says
I flew a lot with Bill. We were selected by the Cardinals Baseball team as exclusive pilots for the team. I was the First Officer that Bill wanted to fly with him on the charters. We did extra things like getting a Post Dispatch for Whitey to read on the way back from the west coast. I would get the olives for Mike Shannon’s martinis. We made an attempt to treat the team like we would have wanted to be treated. We did not ask for autographs nor special favors and I think that was appreciated by the players and coaches. We had fun and always put the team first. We flew barber pole or close to it to save minutes and make the trip shorter. We loved doing the job and making the players and coaches comfortable with us. It was an honor to fly with Bill and try to make the charters as pleasant as possible. RIP BILL. Go Cards!
Jerry Reinker says
I met Bill after waking him up one night with my music blasting “Stairway to Heaven”. The next day he politely introduced himself and said that he liked the music but not at 1 O’clock in the morning. We spent a little time together in Steelville on the river after his cycle accident. He was allot of fun. I’m sure he will find the Stairway to heaven now!
Anonymous says
MAY THE ROAD RISE TO MEET YOU.
MAY THE WIND BE ALWAYS AT YOUR BACK.
MAY THE SUN SHINE WARM UPON YOUR FACE,
THE RAINS FALL SOFT UPON YOUR FIELDS
AND, UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN,
MAY GOD HOLD YOU IN THE PALM OF HIS HAND.
I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU FOREVER BILL
SUSAN