04/15/2008

William D. Given

April 9, 2008

OFDA received word this morning that William D. Given, 79, of Coshocton, Ohio, passed away Wednesday, April 9, 2008. He was born in Cadiz, Ohio, on April 16, 1928, the son of William G. and Nellie (Heavilin) Given.

Bill began his career in funeral service in September 1947 when he served an apprenticeship with the Clark Funeral Home in Cadiz, Ohio. He entered Cleveland College of Mortuary Science in September 1949 and graduated in September 1950. He then served with the Clark Funeral Home until beginning service in the U. S. Air Force from 1951 to 1955, earning a rank of Staff Sergeant. Bill was associated with the G. H. Busch Funeral Homes in Cleveland until August 1958 when he moved to Coshocton to begin work with Dawson Funeral Home. He joined Glass Funeral Home in 1963 and purchased it in 1969, renaming it Given Funeral Home. In 1974 and 1981 respectively, he acquired the O'Neil Funeral Home in West Lafayette and the Dawson Funeral Home in Coshocton, forming them into the Given-Dawson Funeral Homes.

Bill was a member of Grace United Methodist Church in Coshocton since 1958. He was a life member of the Coshocton Lions Club, serving as president in 1968 and secretary in 1970-72. He was a past president of the American Cancer Society and the American Heart Association; life member of the Coshocton Elks Lodge 376; member of the Masonic Lodge of West Lafayette; and a member of the American Legion Post 65. Bill also served on the board of the Coshocton County Memorial Hospital development committee and was a member of Friends of the Park. He was also an active member of the National Funeral Directors Association and the Ohio Funeral Directors Association and a former member of the National Selected Morticians.

Bill married Beverly Lodge of St. Clairsville, Ohio, on October 29, 1949. She preceded him in death on November 20, 1998, after 49 years of marriage. He is survived by two sons, William L. (Lori) and Robert D. (Mary Ellen); four grandchildren; Jason (Janelle), Allison, Megan and Matthew; one great granddaughter, Jillian.

Given-Dawson Funeral Home, 186 Park Avenue, Coshocton, OH 43812 handled the services. Burial followed in South Lawn Cemetery.

For those who wish, contributions can be made to the Coshocton Lions Club, P. O. Box 553, Coshocton, OH 43812.