William Kitzman
Jan. 16, 1944-Nov. 30, 2021
William Kitzman, 77, of
Williston, North Dakota,
passed away on Tuesday,
November 30, 2021 at his
residence in Williston,
ND. Fulkerson Stevenson
Funeral Home in Willis-
ton is assisting the family.
Friends and family may
leave condolences at
www.fulkersons.com.
William’s Funeral Ser-
vice will be held at 2:00
PM, Monday, December 6,
2021 at the Fulkerson
Stevenson Funeral Home
Chapel in Williston, ND.
Reverend Steve Anderson
will officiate. A family
service will be held at
Fulkerson Stevenson Fun-
eral Home Chapel in
Williston at 5:00 PM Sun-
day, December 5, 2021.
Visitation will be held
at the Fulkerson Steven-
son Funeral Home Chapel
in Williston on Sunday
from 1:00 PM until 5:00
PM, and an hour at the
funeral home chapel prior
to the service.
The Funeral Service
will be livestreamed, you
can view William’s ser-
vice directly on his obitu-
ary page on our website
www.fulkersons.com.
William “Bill” Kitzman
was born January 16th
1944, in Bottineau ND,
entrusted to Walter and
Doris (Harding) Kitzman.
Growing up on the farm,
he quickly learned the
value of a hard day’s
work, milking cows and
harvesting, as well as
gaining engineering ex-
perience helping “Pa”
repair machinery. Fishing
trips with Uncle
“Schatzy” were favorite
childhood memories.
In 1964, Bill and his
friend George enlisted in
the US Army together. He
was deployed to Korea
and served as a tank
mechanic. He left the
Army in 1967. That same
year, Bill and his former
wife Jan Hegland (Clay)
welcomed their first son,
Stacy. In 1970, another
son, John, joined the fami-
ly.
Motivated to provide for
his family, Bill worked in
the oil field, spending
freezing winters on top of
the derrick. Throughout
the years, he tackled al-
most every role on the rig.
Later he worked for Her-
man Oil, delivering
resources to rigs, and en-
joyed running into old co-
workers. He retired for a
few days, then drove
hotshot for Petroleum Ser-
vices. Bill’s career brought
a number of great people
into his life, and he spoke
often of the friendships he
made.
On July 10th 1986, Bill
married Jean (Smith), un-
iting not only two indivi-
duals, but also two
families–Stacy and John
gained four siblings that
day: Tim, Kimberly,
Nathan, and Sam. In Au-
gust 1987, the caboose of
the family appeared, a
daughter named Billie
Jean.
In his free time, Bill
made things beautiful–
whether his yard or the
house, he always had a
project. Trips to the fami-
ly farm were his favorite
vacation, playing “CCR”
on tape the whole drive
there. A devoted and
tender-hearted man, he
cared for his loved ones
with the highest regard,
including his pets. He was
a safe place, a comforting
voice, a fierce protector,
and knew just when to
crack his wit and stop
folks in their tracks with a
good laugh.
2015 was a devastating
year for Bill. Shortly after
his retirement, he was di-
agnosed with cancer, and
underwent major surgery.
On July 11th, Bill lost his
“Jeannie” to a fatal stroke.
The strength of Bill’s char-
acter shone as he
managed through these
last years with a broken
heart, and despite ex-
periencing such losses, he
loved well and still want-
ed to make people smile.
Bill has been welcomed
home by his wife, Jean;
his parents, Walter and
Doris; brothers, Kenny
and Dickey; many other
precious family members;
as well as beloved pet
Shadow.
Bill is survived by his
children: Stacy and
Susanne Kitzman; John
and Heather Kitzman;
Tim and Naoko Thome;
Kimberly Carole; Nathan
and Wanda Thome; Sam
and Kelly Thome; and Bil-
lie Jean Kitzman; 18
grandchildren; 5 great-
grandchildren; and his si-
blings: Marie Harmel, Neil
Kitzman, Tony Kitzman,
Dianne Perkins; Donna
Wittmeier; Debbie Weir;
and Vance Kitzman; as
well as many nieces,
nephews, and cousins.