William Fredrick Phelps

William (Bill) Fredrick Phelps, age 67, passed away suddenly on April 20, 2024, in St. George, Utah, with his beloved wife of 47 years, Karen, by his side. Bill was born on December 21, 1956, in Chicago, Illinois at Saint Bernard Hospital to David E. Phelps and Janet L. Hill. He was blessed to have an older brother, David Alan and younger sister, Ina Marie.

Bill and Karen were high school sweethearts, meeting their freshman year at Lincoln-Way Central High School. Karen moved to Boise, Idaho during her Senior year, with Bill following after graduation. They were married at the historic Boise Train Depot on April 9, 1977.     

After they were married, they moved back to Illinois where Bill worked for Caterpillar for 5 years, and then went on to work at Lincoln-Way High School until retirement. 

Bill and Karen were blessed to have 2 children, William F. Phelps, Jr born in March of 1981 and Ashley N. Phelps born in June of 1984. 

Bill enjoyed camping, fishing, Wednesday night bowling league, watching Nascar and WWE, random card nights, date nights, and traveling with best friends Ed and Vicky Ipema, along with spending time with his family and friends. Recently he became obsessed with playing Farmtown on Facebook, which he has entrusted his “farms” to his grandson to “take care of”. He has always been a huge Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Cubs fan.  He loved watching the same shows/movies on repeat, which included The Andy Griffith Show, Sanford and Son, The Wizard of Oz, Everybody loves Raymond, and The King of Queens. 

Bill and Karen moved back out to Idaho in the fall of 2017 to be closer to Karen’s mother. They were both fully retired by April 2021, and started the RV/glamping retirement lifestyle. They would spend time in Boise, Idaho for 6 months and then head south to St George, Utah for 6 months. 

Bill is survived by his wife Karen, son Willy (Robin) Phelps, daughter Ashley Blankenship, brother David Phelps, sister Ina Phelps, mother-in-law Louise Karsten, and brother-in-law Butch (Tammy) Karsten. Bill was an amazing doting grandfather to 6 grandchildren, and a cherished uncle to many nieces and nephews. 

Bill is preceded in death by both of his parents, David and Janet Phelps, maternal and paternal grandparents, his father-in-law Harold Karsten Jr, his son-in-law Richie Blankenship, his sister-in-law Laura Phelps, and his 2 close childhood best friends Dan Samanich and Ed Gross, and his adored beagle Titan. 

No services will be held. A private cremation is scheduled in St. George Utah. 

The family will hold a celebration of Bill’s life at a later date this summer.  

Donations for Bill's grandchildren's college funds may be sent to Karen Phelps.