Bill B. Banter, 77, a lifelong resident of Jackson Township, passed away Thursday, June 8, 2023, at Stillwater Hospice in Fort Wayne.
Bill was born Feb. 24, 1946 in Marion, Ind., to Byron Banter and Florence Widner Taylor. He graduated from Jackson Township High School in 1964 and from Purdue in 1969 with a degree in agriculture. During college, he was part of the Alpha-Gamma-Rho fraternity and a member of the Student Union. It would end up that his two sons, Will and Brent, would be members of the same fraternity.
Upon graduation, Bill established Banter Farms in 1970. He married Dianna Lynn Rody Banter March 6, 1971, in Jerome, Indiana. Bill and Dianna were members of the Church at McNatt.
A lifelong farmer in Wells County, Bill was heavily involved in his community. He was very proud of the men who worked for him, including those that came through the Southern Wells I.C.E. program.
He was a 50-year member of the Van Buren Masonic Lodge, He received a young farmers award from Wells County, was on the Jackson Township Advisory Board, spent 12 years on the Southern Wells Community Schools board of trustees, was a trustee of the Jones Cemetery, and a longtime member of the S.A.M. (Salamonie Active Men) club in Warren.
Bill enjoyed being at the Wells County 4-H fair helping the children show cattle. He enjoyed traveling with his wife and friends to Hawaii and the Caribbean, and always went to Purdue football games, including the Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl as part of the “Fat Boys”. Friends would joke when the group of friends, supposed to be called the “Frat Boys,” was renamed the “Fat Boys” due to a typing error.
Bill was committed to his family, his friends, and his community and will be greatly missed.
Bill was preceded in death by his father, Byron Banter; his mother, Florence Taylor; and his stepfather, Ralph Taylor.
Loving survivors include his wife of 53 years, Dianna Lynn Banter of Warren; his sons, Will B. Banter of Warren and Brent A. Banter of Austin, Texas; his grandchildren, Clay (Kyla) Banter of Warren, Cole Banter of Warren, and Cash Banter of Warren; a sister, Jan (Dr. George) Babcock of Bluffton; and a brother, Robey Taylor of St. Louis, Mo.
Friends and family may gather to share and remember from 2 to 8 p.m. Monday, June 12, at the Glancy-H. Brown & Son Funeral Home, 203 N. Matilda St. in Warren. A Masonic service will be held at 8 p.m. Monday at the funeral home.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 13, 2023 with Pastor Bill VanHaften officiating. Burial will follow at the Jones Cemetery in rural Wells County.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Church at McNatt, 9183W-800S-90, Montpelier, IN 47359, or to the Wells County 4-H Association/Cattle Barn at 1240 4-H Park Road, Bluffton, IN 46714
Arrangements have been entrusted to the Glancy-H. Brown & Son Funeral Home in Warren, Indiana.