William Robert "Bill" Stotts

William Robert “Bill” Stotts went to his eternal Home on May 12, 2021. Born on May 14, 1939, in Paris, IL, Bill accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior and was called to the ministry at the age of 14, passionately loving and serving Him above all else.

His love for God was evident in his lifelong love and care not only for his family but for all people. Armed with an extraordinary ability to remember names and a great sense of humor, Bill made friends easily and well.

His family grieves deeply at the loss of a great husband of 59½ years to Jane Ellen (McIntire) Stotts; a loving father of Jeff (Regine) Stotts, Kay (Leonardo) Godoy Stotts, and Doug (Rachel) Stotts; a proud grandpa of Brett (Elizabeth), Hope, Amelia, Jacob, Owen, Sofia and Ben; a great grandpa of Emily, a beloved brother of Florence (Don) Magee, and a wonderful uncle of many nieces and nephews. They rejoice over his faithful life and that he is now with Jesus.

As a boy, Bill was never without a ball! His love for sports began early in life. When told by the Paris High School basketball coach that he was too small for the team, Bill trained hard to make up for the deficit by being fast. Really fast! He excelled as a Paris Tiger, going on to play 6 foot guard for Indiana Central University. It was there that Bill met his beloved wife Jane and together they joyfully decided to give their lives in service to their Lord.

Bill attended Evangelical United Brethren Seminary. They pastored several United Methodist churches in Illinois: Potomac, Naperville, Danville and Henry. Moving to Indiana in 1975, Pastor Bill continued fruitful ministry with the Free Methodist Church in Terre Haute, Indianapolis Ritter Avenue, and Washington. Upon retirement, he gladly filled in as pastor for several congregations throughout Wabash Conference.

As a humble servant leader, no job was too small or insignificant for Pastor Bill who could be found shoveling snow, cleaning church bathrooms and driving the church van. He would work until the job was done. But his passion was relationships: visiting the sick and grieving, helping people with daily tasks, befriending the poor and disenfranchised. He loved pointing people - all people -- to Jesus and sharing God’s love with them. Many are in Heaven because of his life lived with genuine integrity and purpose.

Bill is preceded in death by his parents, Charles and Esther (Harrison) Stotts, stepmother Caddie, sisters Mary (Fred) Yost and Virginia, and brother Charles (Anna) Stotts.

A celebration of life service, scheduled for Saturday, May 29th at Ritter Avenue Free Methodist Church in Indianapolis, will be officiated by Pastor Dave Nicholson. 11:00am visitation will be followed by a memorial service at 12:00pm. Burial will follow at Washington East Memorial Cemetery in Indianapolis.

Any memorial contributions can be made to:
Alzheimer's Association, 50 East 91st Street, Suite 100, Indianapolis, IN 46240
(https://act.alz.org/site/TR/Events/Tributes-AlzheimersChampions?pg=fund&fr_id=1060&pxfid=683618)
or International Child Care Ministries, 770 N. High School Road, Indianapolis, IN 46214
(https://donate.childcareministries.org/special-projects).

Condolences: www.randallroberts.com