William V. Leuthold

William V. Leuthold, 90, died Sunday evening, August 9, 2026 at Bucyrus Community Hospital after a year of failing health. The Leuthold family is grateful for his team of caregivers and the staff of Fresenius Dialysis.

He was born in Chatfield Twp. on July 28, 1936. The second of nine children of the late Paul L. and Lulu M. (Bantzhaff) Leuthold. The Leuthold family grew up in Lykens and Chatfield Townships and Bill graduated from Chatfield High School, where he competed in track and field for the Tigers, in 1955. Bill was hard working and entrepreneurial. He got work with his dad at W.A. Riddell where his gift for driving the graders was noticed and he got to go to trade shows as a demonstrator. Bill also had an engineering and mechanical mindset. He served in the US Army Reserve with the 365th Engineering Battalion and worked as an owner-operator in the trucking business. He and his brother hauled milk early on and he later was an independent truck driver affiliated with the Teamsters through Cooper-Jarrett Trucking.

Bill will be remembered for his orneriness and being sociable. He met friends while trucking, through riding motorcycles, living in Florida, camping at Sunset Springs, and boating with his cousins. A lifelong collector of cars, motorcycles, and fan of racing, Bill built a dirt track car in high school and raced it in Attica. He was “found out” because he placed and got his name in the paper, so his parents put a stop to it. He and his friends also won several national tractor pull titles with “The Honker.” It was an old Oliver they purchased on the cheap and equipped with an Allison aircraft engine. He also competed in demo derbies and followed NASCAR. Bill enjoyed keeping up with his large family, always asking about his grandchildren and keeping tabs on his siblings, nieces, and nephews.

Bill is survived by sons, Chris (Susie) Leuthold, Mitch (Karen) Leuthold, and John (Deb) Leuthold; grandchildren, Howard Leuthold, Tory Leuthold, Candace (John) Lett, Bradley (Katie) Leuthold, Nicholas (Kaitlin) Leuthold, Eric (Abby) Leuthold, Matthew Leuthold, and Joshua Leuthold; nine great grandchildren with one expected; brothers, Paul Everett Leuthold, Gerald “Jake” (Trish) Leuthold, Dwight (Sandi) Leuthold, Wayne (Ruth) Leuthold, and Doug (Dianne) Leuthold; along with his nieces, nephews, and extended family.

In addition to his parents, Bill was preceded in death by his sons’ mother, Joyce (Zucker) Wagner; sisters, Arleta Stevenson and Christine Warren; and brother, Jim Leuthold.

Services will be held on Saturday, August 22 at the Chatfield Evangelical Pietist Church. Family will receive friends from 10-10:55 am and his Celebration of Life will begin at 11:00 am with Pastor Jason DeZurik officiating. Inurnment will follow in Lust Cemetery.

Memorial contributions can be made payable to Chatfield Evangelical Pietist Church and given at the services or at Wise Funeral Service in Bucyrus. Memories and photos can be shared on the guestbook of Bill’s tribute page at www.wisefuneral.com.