William "Bill" Joseph Tegethoff
Bill (79) Tegethoff of Brownsburg, IN passed away on January 6, 2025. Bill was a US Army veteran serving for 3 years in the Vietnam War from 9/25/1963- 6/27/1966. During that time, Bill received an Honorable discharge ranked as a PVT E-1 (P) and received the Vietnam Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and Sharpshooter (Rifle M-14). Bill was a faithful member of the Patriot Guard for many years and considered it an honor to go on missions to show respect to families of fallen heroes. Bill also participated in several missions to escort "The Wall That Heals," a Vietnam Veterans Memorial Replica when it would travel through Indiana, and regularly participated in other events such as "Wreaths Across America", and the "Miracle Ride for Riley Kids." Bill worked as a Union Carpenter for over 30 years and helped to build many keystone structures of Indianapolis such as the Bank One (now Salesforce) Tower, the IU Cancer Center, and the Circle Center Mall to name a few. Bill claimed that his mission in life was "to protect and serve" and he demonstrated those values in many aspects of his life. Family was important to him. Bill was proud to tell the story of how he retired from the Carpenter's Union with a full pension when he was 53 years old, became a stay at-home dad for two young sons, and the main cook of the home. After that role, his safeguard mentality turned toward five feral cats brought into the home by another family member. Bill was known for his wit, and another of his famous sayings was "Jill likes to bring in strays and I was the first one." Bill loved to do yardwork, was a fixer of all things. He even helped his wife figure out how to work a washing machine via phone while she was in Ukraine (before Facetime). Bill was preceded in death by his parents John and Imelda Tegethoff; brothers John and Robert Tegethoff. Survivors include his wife of 33 years, Sondra Jill Stikeleather; sons Daniel (Dakota) Stikeleather, Alan Tegethoff; sister Diane Meadows; brothers Joseph (Chris) Tegethoff, Thomas Tegethoff; sister-in-law's Lisa Tegethoff, Sandy Tegethoff; grandchildren Kingston Stikeleather, Lakelyn Stikeleather. Graveside service and Military Honors will be at 11 am Friday, April 25, 2025, at the Crown Hill Columbarium Annex, Indianapolis. For those who wish to participate, a funeral escort will begin at 9:45 am at Matthews Mortuary at 690 E 56th St., Brownsburg, IN 46112 and proceed to Crown Hill Cemetery for the 11:00 am Military-lead graveside service.