Funeral services for 67-year-old William “Bill” James Litfin of Windom, Minnesota will be held Sunday afternoon, March 9, 2014, at 3 p.m., in St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Windom. The church is located at 532 17th Street.
Visitation will be at LaCanne Family Funeral Home in Windom, located at 2280 6th Avenue, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, 2014.
Burial will be held at a later day at Walnut Grove Cemetery.
William “Bill” Litfin passed away peacefully, in his home, surrounded by his loving family, on Tuesday, March 4, 2014.
Bill was born to the late Jack and Dorothy(Beel) Litfin on August 28, 1946, in Tracy, Minnesota and was baptized on March 28, 1948 at The First Methodist Church in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. He attended Walnut Grove Elementary School and graduated from Walnut Grove Public High School in 1965. Bill received a certificate from Duluth Area Technical Institute in 1967 for baking and worked in this occupation in the Minneapolis area.
After a call to duty in the United States Army, Bill returned to Walnut Grove and ran a bakery/restaurant while working part-time as a Walnut Grove police officer. Bill was then hired full-time by the City of Walnut Grove as the Chief of Police.
While living in Walnut Grove, Bill was an active member of the First Methodist Church and the American Legion Club. From an early age, Bill enjoyed hunting, fishing, and camping.
In 1980, he married Cindy and they moved to Windom where he was a Deputy Sheriff and Chief Deputy of Cottonwood County. During this time, Bill and Cindy raised three children, Amy, Allison, and Neil. He often said that being a dad was the most important job he had and his kids never went a day without hearing him say, “I love you.”
With a total of 33 years in law enforcement, Bill retired in 2003. Upon his retirement, Bill enjoyed taking his kids and their friends out to the hunting cabin in the Rocky Mountains near Fort Collins, Colorado. Roughing it in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains was his idea of a real vacation. He loved to be around nature and the quiet mountain trails.
Later, Bill re-entered the workforce and baked biscuits at Hardee’s in Windom. His most recent job experience was working for Windom Public Schools as a paraprofessional. At school he supervised lunch shifts and assisted students in academic classes. The students whom he met and talked with will always remember him as a person willing to help with anything.
Bill is survived by his wife, Cindy, and their three children, Amy (Kenny) of Hastings, Minnesota; and Allison and Neil, both of Windom; a granddaughter, Eden Joy Zamzow; his brothers, Jack of Walnut Grove and Owen (Karen) of Laguna Hills, California; his sister, Nancy (Craig) of Clifton, Virginia; 12 nieces and nephews, and many extended family members and friends. In addition, Bill is survived by 25 foster sons and daughters from Cottonwood County.
He was preceded in death by his parents.