William Carl Engman of Eureka Springs, Ark., was born May 16, 1932, Hamburg, Germany, son of Wilhelm Hans and Nicolene Margaretha (Catharina) Engmann. He departed this life Saturday, May 13, 2017 in Fayetteville, Ark., three days shy of his 85th birthday.
During his life, Bill saw the most evil in mankind as well as the very good. Growing up in Germany during WWII, he lost his grandmother to the gas chambers and was required to join Hitler Youth. In the post war period, he helped support his family by working in the black market.
In December of 1950 he immigrated to the United States with his mother and sister. He already had a college degree in chemical engineering, but had to teach himself English and did so achieving no detectable accent. He had a long successful career with W.R. Grace/Dearborn Chemical Division and Walling Chemical in water treatment, and Tyson was one of his many customers.
Bill was proud of becoming a naturalized citizen on March 5, 1965. He was thankful for what this country allowed him to achieve, was very patriotic and supported many conservative causes. Over the last decade, he was concerned about history repeating itself, noting things because of his life experience that most of us would not understand.
Bill enjoyed boating and was very active in the United States Power Squadron of Beaver Lake, an organization dedicated to boater education and safety. He also enjoyed his pets and supported the Good Shepherd Humane Society of Eureka Springs.
He is survived by his son, William Engman of Dallas, Texas; two daughters, Diane and Lanette of Dallas; sister, Irmtraut Engman, of South Carolina. He is also survived by his adopted family, Chuck and Ginny Dell; grandsons, Hunter and Chase; granddaughter, Chandra and very special great-granddaughter, Rowan. He had many friends in Eureka Springs, including his best friends, the two “Buds,” Bud Clark and Bud Walling, and very special friend, Doris.
On December 26, 1972, William was united in marriage with Hildalee (Graham) Engman. She preceded him in death in 2010 after 38 years of a very happy marriage.
No services are scheduled at this time. Arrangements are under the direction of Nelson Funeral Service, Inc. Memorial donations may be made to the Good Shepherd Humane Society, 6486 Hwy 62 East, Eureka Springs, Arkansas 72632. Online condolences may be sent to the family at nelsonfuneral.com. © Nelson Funeral Service, Inc. 2017