William O. ?Bill? Sater

William O. ?Bill? Sater, 83, of Mt. Pleasant, died at 10:24 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2000, at Mapleleaf Healthcare Center in Mt. Pleasant.

      The funeral service will be 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 19, at the First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Pleasant with the Rev. Douglas Hall officiating. Visitation will begin at noon on Saturday, Nov. 18 at Weir Funeral Home with the family present from 3 to 7 p.m. Burial will be 10 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 20, in Forest Home Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers contributions to memorials for the First Presbyterian Church and the Midwest Old Settlers and Threshers Association.

      Mr. Sater was born Dec. 28, 1916, near New London, the son of Willis H. and Bethiah Laughin Sater. He married Helen E. Warth on May 29, 1941, at St. Louis, Mo. A 1934 graduate of New London High School, he lived most of his life in Mt. Pleasant where he owned and operated Sater Blacksmith Shop for 47 years, retiring in 1981. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Mt. Pleasant, the Mt. Pleasant Rotary Club, and the Southeast Iowa Antique Car Club. For 40 years he was a member of the Mt. Pleasant Fire Department, serving as the chief from 1976 to 1981. He was a life member of the Iowa Blacksmith and Welders Association serving as president in 1966, and was very active with the Midwest Old Settlers and Threshers Association, serving 31 years on the board of directors and 18 as president.

      Among the many awards he received were the Mt. Pleasant Rotary International Man of the Month in 1973, the Mt. Pleasant Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year in 1975, the Iowa Wesleyan College James A. Harlan Award in 1967, the Southeast Iowa Antique Car Club Featured Car Award in 1991 for his 1930 Ford delivery truck, the Iowa Welders and Blacksmith Association Blacksmith of the Year in 1965 and was given a lifetime membership in 1981, served as Grand Marshal of the Harvest Parade in 1985 and was active in the Old Threshers School Tours program and received the Old Threshers Award in 1985.

      Survivors include his wife; a son, Thomas W. Sater of Chicago; a daughter, Mary Ellen and Jon Pugh of Springfield, Mo.; three grandchildren; and one great-grandson. He was preceded in death by his brother, Wilbur W. Sater.