William R. Albert

William Ronald Albert (affectionately known as Bill, Ron, and Moe) passed away peacefully at home, in his sleep, in the early morning hours of May 19, 2026, at the age of 86.

Bill was born on February 19, 1940, to William Riley and Thelma Juanita (Williams) Albert. He attended Ritenour High School, where he played football and baseball and met the love of his life, Nancy. The two married in 1959 and shared more than 67 wonderful years together.

Bill attended Logan Chiropractic College and Parks Aeronautical College (A&P License) and dedicated 42 years of service to TWA and later American Airlines in St. Louis, retiring in 2002 as Director of Facilities and Ground Maintenance. Bill belonged to the Bridgeton Masonic Lodge (since 1962) and the Bridgeton/Troy Eastern Star. He was a man who could fix or build just about anything, and he especially loved restoring old cars and houses - work he fondly referred to as his “therapy.” That work resulted in the family log cabin near the Black River and Clearwater lake, where many generations have enjoyed time together.

Above all else, Bill loved his family fiercely. He was a devoted husband, son, brother, father, uncle, grandfather, great-grandfather, step-grandfather, step-great-grandfather, and friend whose hard work and unconditional love shaped generations.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, William and Juanita Albert; his daughter, Kelly Christine; and his faithful buddy, Murphy.

He is survived by his beloved wife of 67 years, Nancy; his brother, Frank Albert (Donna); and his four children: Andy Albert (Kristy), Vicky Faron (Eric Heumann), Julie Birke (Larry), and Angie Albert (fiancé Michael Holley).

Bill also leaves behind 12 cherished grandchildren: Rachel Owens (Jonathan), Hannah Biglow (Trevon), Sarah Albert, Lucas Faron (Elizabeth), Dominic Faron (Lauryn), Gabriel Faron (Gracie), Jake Birke (Leslie), Allison Blechle (Justin), Cole Birke, Courtney Lane (Patrick), Gage Zeisset, and Gracey Strange. He was also blessed with 15 great-grandchildren, with one more on the way, as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

And, of course, he is survived by his other loyal buddy, Hammer.

On almost any summer afternoon, you could pull into Bill’s driveway and, before even stepping out of the car, be greeted by the smell of freshly cut grass, pork steaks on the grill, and the sound of Cardinals baseball drifting from the backyard - especially if Jack Buck was calling the game.

As you rounded the house, he’d be there waiting for you with that Bill Albert smile, a Camel non-filter in one hand and a prized Milwaukee’s Best Light for you in the other - usually room temperature because, according to him, “it took too long to get them cold.” While the pork steaks were legendary, we have to admit the warm beer didn’t taste all that great at the time.

What we would give today to have him hand us another one.

One of Bill’s favorite sayings when facing a daunting task was, “That’s no hill for a climber.”

Your climb is complete. We learned everything we needed by watching you.

Rest now Dad, we love you.