Mr. William "Bill" Fraser Eller

William "Bill" Fraser Eller passed away on August 2, 2016 after a long and very brave battle with pulmonary fibrosis. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Linda Goodman Eller; his two children and their spouses - Eric and Kathy Eller of Boone, NC, and Amanda and Charlie Choi of Triangle, VA; three grandchildren, Noelle Eller, Andrew Choi, and Emma Choi; and numerous other family and friends, including a handful of friends who have been a part of his life since he was a little boy.

He was born on November 14, 1935, in Elkin, NC, the only child of Willard Roscoe "Ross" Eller, a carpenter, and Allie Gilley Eller, a homemaker. Although no one in Ashe County during the 1930s had much of anything, he had something close to an idyllic childhood in Warrensville, NC, filled with playing baseball in the fields; fishing and swimming in the creek; and basically running around with all the local boys, some of whom remained his closest friends to the end of his life. He often enjoyed telling his children and grandchildren stories of his adventures (and misadventures) picking beans in the summer to earn money, which was generally spent on candy, soda, and the pictures. He got his early and very passionate love of baseball from this time in his childhood, with many hours and days devoted to ballgames where they never kept score and played for the sheer love of the game. (He once expressed the opinion that if it were up to him, he would outlaw Little League, give every child who wanted to play a ball, a bat, and a glove, and banish all adults from the ball field so the children could play in peace.) His favorite position was catcher, and he excelled at it.

He played baseball and basketball for Lansing High School, and graduated in 1954. Shortly after his graduation, his father drove him to Lees-McRae College (then a two-year school), where he showed up one evening in the Admissions Office with neither an appointment nor an application, and left that same day with an acceptance and a work study. He spent two very happy years at Lees-McRae, where he played on the basketball team. During his final exams for his last year of college, his father passed away unexpectedly, so he went home to bury his Dad and then returned to school to finish his exams and graduate. He then took a position with Sprague Electric in order to support his mother.

He was drafted into the United States Army and spent two years on duty at Fort Jackson, SC. Dad enjoyed his time in the Army, supplementing his pay with his impressive ping pong skills at the nightly tournaments held on base - he would win the first prize watch, and then turn around and sell it to someone else for $15 or $20, allowing him to send more money home to his mother.

He was honorably discharged in 1960 and came back home to Warrensville, where he worked once again for Sprague Electric. It was there that he met the love of his life - Linda Goodman. Mom says the first time she ever laid eyes on him, he was talking to another girl he was dating at that time. As Dad would later put it - he took the other girl home and came back to get Mom. They married on December 30, 1961, and embarked on what became a true and equal partnership. He adored her until the day he died.

He eventually finished his degree in Physical Education at Appalachian State University (ASU), and took a job as a teacher and coach at Northwest Ashe High School. He later moved his family to Taylorsville, NC, to teach at Taylorsville High School and later at the newly consolidated Alexander Central High School, where he was the first head basketball coach of the varsity team. This was during the days of desegregation, and Dad was adamant about giving all the kids, regardless of their race, the chance to play on the basketball team, a belief which would later cost him his job.

He earned his Masters in Counseling in 1975, and went on to accept a position at Watauga High School, working as a guidance counselor and coach. Dad was as passionate about education as he was about sports, and during his years at Watauga, he worked tirelessly to establish a solid AP program, and gave classes to the students on how to successfully take the SAT. He loved working with young people. He saw the potential in every child, and considered all the kids at Watauga High School, in a sense, his own. Many students who felt that they had no adults in their life whom they could trust came to trust Mr. Eller (aka, Coach). It was a family joke that no matter where we travelled, we would inevitably run into someone who knew Dad, usually a former student. At some point during the trip, we would almost always hear an enthusiastic "Hey Coach!" and the next 10 to 15 minutes would be spent in conversation, because Dad genuinely wanted to know everything about what they were doing with their lives.

He was a straight shooter, and although unfailingly polite and well mannered, he did not suffer fools gladly. Nor did he tolerate anyone looking down on him, his family, or the students in his charge because they were from the Appalachian Mountains. Once, when the mother of an out of state transfer student came into his office to discuss her concerns that her son would not be challenged at Watauga High School because he had been attending the third best High School in the country, Dad smoothly interrupted her with, "Well, congratulations Ma'am, you just walked into the second best High School in the country."

He remained passionate about sports for his entire life. During his career, he coached multiple sports, and was at one time the head coach for the Watauga High School boys basketball, track and field, and baseball teams. He was an assistant football coach for the 1978 state champion football team, and was inducted into the Watauga County Sports Hall of Fame. He was a fan in the truest sense of the word of the Atlanta Braves, the Washington Redskins, and ACC basketball. He took particular pleasure in commenting on any "difficulties" the UNC Tarheels might be having - especially to members of his extended family who were supporters of that school. To the last, he was a Wake Forest University supporter.

Throughout his life he was an avid reader, especially books on history, theology, and sports. He had been known to go "dumpster diving" on the ASU campus if he noticed old textbooks that were being thrown away, and those were added to his impressive and ever growing home library. He was a man of deep faith, and a lifelong Baptist. Throughout the years he served as a Deacon, Sunday School teacher, and choir member. He had a tremendous love for music of many different types, and greatly enjoyed listening to it. Dad believed that a person of faith should never ever shy away from asking the hard questions. He did so throughout his life, and his faith in God stayed firm and deepened.

He was devoted to his family, a loving husband and father to his wife and two children. He believed sincerely in allowing his children to follow their own dreams - even when he was probably cringing on the inside - and trusting that the good sense he and Mom had tried to impart to us would resurface at some point. When his children married, he welcomed his daughter-in-law and son-in-law enthusiastically, developing strong relationships with each of them. In his later years, he found great joy in spending time with his three grandchildren. For as long as he was physically able, he attended their plays, games, and other celebrations and milestones in their lives. He played endless games of "restaurant" and tea parties, taught them checkers, and took them fishing. Even as his illness progressed, he stubbornly persisted in participating in the lives of his family and friends for as long as he possibly could.

Dad lived his entire life with tremendous passion and conviction. We miss him. But if there is a baseball league in Heaven, we are pretty sure that some lucky team has a new catcher.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, August 6, 2016 at 11:00 am at First Baptist Church in West Jefferson by Rev. Ken Morris and Rev. Michael Lea. Burial will follow in Welch Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Friday, August 5, 2016 at Badger Funeral Home.

Flowers will be appreciated, or memorials may be made to Caldwell Hospice and Palliative Care, 902 Kirkwood St., NW, Lenoir, NC 28645 or First Baptist Church, PO Box 180, West Jefferson, NC 28694.

Words of comfort and remembrance may be viewed or sent to the family through our website at www.badgerfuneralhome.com.

Badger Funeral Home was entrusted with Mr. Eller's arrangements.

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