William Leroy Feight

William “Bill” Feight, 83, of Des Moines, passed away Friday, October 3, 2025, in hospice care, lovingly surrounded by family at his bedside.

He was born December 24, 1941, at Lutheran Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa to Farol and Grace (Marquis) Feight. Bill served in the United States Army. Following his service in the military, he began working as a truck driver. A career he was very good at and thoroughly enjoyed. He was always a top-rated driver wherever he was and took great pride in each run he took, whether it was mail runs out west, or later on in life his daily trips to Omaha and back. He would often say he saw many parts of the country some only dream about and he was proud of that. He would share his stories with all who would listen. There was nothing he was prouder of though than telling those stories over and over to the most important people to him; his grandchildren and great grandchildren who he adored.

Bill was a man of many words, albeit most can’t be used due to censorship. And if you ever have a conversation with Bill’s children and grandchildren you will understand that the apple clearly didn't fall far from the tree!

Bill was a Busch Light connoisseur, and if you had the pleasure of partaking in a cold can of refreshment with him, you had better not throw away or crush that “nickel” because Bill was going to let you have it. But he had a method to his frugal ways, because he would take a trip to Vegas or Arizona each year almost entirely off those “nickels” he wouldn't let anyone toss away. And if you needed travel advice, he was going to tell you where every cheap but good buffet was and he was never wrong at all.

He was an avid Sprint Car and NASCAR fan. Bill served on the Knoxville Raceway 4-wheeler push team for many years, and if you needed to find him on a Saturday night from mid-April to August it would be at the track. He would tell anyone who would listen, “You can’t die on a Saturday, that is race day.” And as stubborn of a man as he was he stuck by those words 'til the end.

Bill is survived by his daughter, Tracie Feight; son, Lanny (Jeanie) Feight; brother, Jim (Debbie) Feight; grandchildren, Shane (Rachel) Wilson, Steven (Bethanie) Wilson, Laney Feight, Alex (Norma) Smith, and great-grandchildren, Jamison Wagner, Hailey Locke, Trenton Wilson, Ainsley Wilson, Tucker Wilson, Kinley Wilson, Tate Wilson, Landon Wilson, Tipton Smith and Atlas Smith; and a host of extended family and friends.

He was preceded in death by parents Farol and Grace (Marquis) Feight; wife, Darlene Ann (Titler) Feight; sister, Marilyn Olson; and infant son, William John Feight.

The family will greet friends Wednesday, October 8, 2025 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Hamilton’s Southtown Funeral Home; 5400 SW 9th Street in Des Moines. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, October 9th at 10:00 a.m. at the funeral home. In honor of Bill’s lifelong love of racing, the family invites you to come dressed in your favorite race t-shirt or sports attire. Bill will be laid to rest with military honors at Glendale Cemetery.

After the graveside service, everyone is welcome to join the family at Hamilton’s Southtown Funeral Home for a luncheon, a few good laughs and some classic Bill stories, the kind he’d all want us to tell (and probably embellish a little too).

Memorial contributions “In Loving Memory of Bill Feight” may be directed to:
St. Croix Hospice
1555 SE Delaware Ave Suite Q
Ankeny, Iowa 50021
or
Knoxville Racing Charitable Organization (KRCO)
PO Box 493
Knoxville, Iowa 50138

Condolences may be expressed at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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