William L. Warden

William Lee "Bill" Warden, 83, of Topeka, passed away Friday, November 8, 2019.

He was born January 21, 1936, in Atchison, Kansas, the son of Clarence Samuel and Elsie Josephine (Price) Warden. He was a 1954 graduate of Hiawatha High School, Hiawatha, Kansas.

Bill was employed by Southwestern Bell Telephone, later becoming AT&T, for 36 years, retiring in 1992.


He was an active member of Calvary Lutheran Church and the Toastmaster's Club in Topeka.

Bill married Kathryn Linkugel. They later divorced. He married Shirley (Prothe) Sims on September 27, 1997 in Topeka. She survives. Other survivors include children, Samuel Warden, Joseph Warden and Kelli (Mike) Denton of Topeka; two step-sons, Rob (Michelle) Sims of Lawrence and Ryan (Cheri) Sims of Lafayette, CO; several grandchildren including, Katy Warden, Lilly Denton, Amanda, Chris, Dannica and Sophie Sims, Brandon (Jennifer) Gehrke; great-grandchildren, Zane, James and Abigail Gehrke; and two brothers, Samuel (William) Warden of Philadelphia and Thomas (Lorna) Warden, Yuma, AZ.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a daughter, Holly Butts; and a son, David Warden.

Bill enjoyed spending time with family, gardening, hunting, fishing, camping, genealogy and baking. He personally designed and built two of his homes.

Honoring his request, cremation is planned. A memorial ceremony will be held at 3:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 12, 2019 at Calvary Lutheran Church, 4211 NW Topeka Blvd, Topeka, KS 66617. The family will receive friends an hour prior to the service.

Dove Cremations and Funerals, Southwest Chapel is assisting the family.

Memorial contributions may be made to Alzheimer's Association, 3625 SW 29th St., Suite 102, Topeka, KS 66614 or to Calvary Lutheran Church.

To leave a special message for Bill's family, please visit the guestbook below.