William E. (Bill) Waddell of rural Montgomery City died Thursday, November 6, 2025 at Boone County Hospital. He was 82 years old.
He was born May 23, 1943 in Curryville to Henry and Orpha (Brown) Waddell, a Pike County generational family. Bill was the fourth generation to live on the farm. Bill graduated from Bowling Green High School in 1961. He stayed back home to help his ill father farm for a year and later attended the University of Missouri-Columbia, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in agriculture in 1966. During this time, he met his wife, Kaye (Kunkel) Waddell. They were married August 7, 1966. To this marriage two children were born, James Douglas Waddell and Meribeth (Waddell) Wortmann.
Bill and Kaye started their life together in Montgomery City in 1966. Here, both of them accepted teaching positions at Montgomery County R-II High School.
Bill worked in public service, his entire working career, as well as being an avid livestock producer/farmer.
Bill started as a vocational agricultural education teacher in Montgomery County, helping to shape the lives of many young men (as females were not in Vo-AG at the time). Bill then continued as a livestock market field reporter for the Missouri Department of Agriculture, where he reported feeder-pig sales from local sale barns. Later, he accepted a full-time position with the Division of Marketing within the Missouri Department of Agriculture. Here he was instrumental in starting such programs as “AgriMissouri” that markets Missouri-made products/commodities, the Gold Label program that assisted Missouri Beef producers as well as many other programs that assisted Missouri farmers and ranchers.
One highlight of Bill’s time with the department was being named the Missouri State Fair Director in Sedalia in 1985. His previous 20-plus years serving on the local Montgomery County Fair Board – along with being an avid youth-livestock producer and exhibitor – certainly contributed to his love of fairs and festivals. Being on the planning and organizational side of fairs was an enjoyable challenge to him. Bill also served as President of the Missouri Association of Fairs and Festivals Association during his seven-year term on the state association’s Board of Directors.
After retiring from the Missouri Department of Agriculture, Bill went on to serve the citizens of our county as the Montgomery County Clerk throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. He also served on the Montgomery County Farm Bureau board where he played an instrumental part in securing the office for the Department of Motor Vehicle Licensing (License Office) – an office that the citizens of Montgomery County are still very proud of. The entire time, throughout their marriage Bill and Kaye worked side-by-side, continuing their hog and cattle production along with hay and row crops. He was certainly glad when his son-in-law, Tony Wortmann, married into the family and had the same love of raising hogs that Bill possessed.
Bill is survived by his wife Kaye and son Jim of the home; his daughter Meribeth and Tony Wortmann of Montgomery City; and several nieces and nephews. Bill is preceded in death by his parents, Henry and Orpha Waddell, and brother and sister-in-law John and Marry Waddell of Curryville.
Per Bill’s wishes, there will be no services.
