Bill Beard, 88, died at his home in Warrensburg Wednesday, March 13.

Funeral services will be held at 10 a.m Thursday, at Sweeney-Phillips & Holdren Funeral Home with Brother Charles Brant officiating. Interment will follow in Warrensburg Memorial Gardens. Pallbearers will be Matt Bauer, Jacob Bauer, Steve Tuttle, David Beard, David A. Beard, and Nicholas Strathman.  
The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday at the funeral home.
Contributions may be made to either the American Heart Association or the Johnson County Cancer Foundation and checks can be left in care of the funeral home.
Bill was born April 13, 1930, in rural Johnson County, to Emerson Beard and Elizabeth (Stapleton) Beard. He was a supervisor of pattern design at Unitog and retired from there after 50+ years of service. He was also a longtime attendee of Mount Zion Baptist Church.
Bill’s greatest passion in life was his horses. He had a lifetime membership to the Missouri Fox Trotters Horse Breed Association and the Concordia Saddle Club. He also raised show horses, Texas longhorns, and a variety of birds, including chickens, peacocks, and pigeons. He loved being outdoors, tending to his gardens, and watching the hummingbirds. He always looked forward to gathering his family at the farm and having barbeques and celebrating holidays, and his great-grandchildren always got special attention! He was honest, caring, and will be dearly missed.
Survivors include his daughter, Loretta Bauer (Ron Crossland) of Warrensburg; his partner of 37 years, Liz Tuttle, of Warrensburg and her two sons, Chris Tuttle of Osage Beach and Steve Tuttle of North Kansas City; his grandchildren, Matt (Morgan) Bauer of Sweet Springs, Jacob Bauer of North Kansas City, Amanda (William) Vanderpool  of Knob Noster; his great-grandchildren, Alyssa Vanderpool, Mayleyah Bauer, and Briar Bauer; his sisters, Dorris (Dave) Hahn of Warrensburg and Linda (Don) Strathman of Alma; and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Emerson and Elizabeth; two sisters, Juanita Hunter and Crystal Meek; brother Willis Beard; nephew, Ron Meek; niece, Kelley Shelton; and his pride and joy, his Missouri Foxtrotter named Top Secret.