William "Bill" Guy Uhrig

To view the funeral service for Bill Uhrig Saturday July 31, 2021 at Fleming Gardens Christian Church please CLICK on the LIVE STREAM LINK https://www.hdezwebcast.com/show/mr-william-guy-uhrig

William Guy Uhrig, 83, of Indianapolis took the checkered flag of life on Saturday, July 24, 2021. Bill suffered a heart attack on July 4 while attending the IndyCar race weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. He fought a hard two-week battle at OSU Ross Heart Hospital before being moved to the Hospice of Central Ohio. Bill was born April 1, 1938 in Indianapolis to the late William Ray and Elizabeth Ann (Guy) Uhrig. He was a proud resident of Wayne Township and was often referred to as “The Mayor of Ben Davis”. He was the consummate Hoosier. After his family, his true loves were basketball, auto racing, tenderloins, and White Castle.  He would travel all over the state to attend a high school basketball game and all over the country to attend an IndyCar race!

As a teenager in the 1950s, Bill spent his months of May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway selling newspapers and sweeping the track on practice days. After graduation from Ben Davis High School in 1956 he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard. He married his high school sweetheart Patsy Ann Long in 1959. He enjoyed a long career in the Coast Guard with postings throughout the country.  Bill earned a BS degree in Human Relations & Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco and retired from the Coast Guard in 1981 as a Chief Warrant Officer and head of the EMT School at the USCG Training Center in Petaluma, California.  He then “retired” to the westside of Indianapolis, and after short stints at Maly’s Beauty Supply and AAA Hoosier Motor Club, he returned to IMS and worked on the grounds crew, at the fuel station in Gasoline Alley and eventually as a tour guide at the museum. He continued to serve as a tour guide at the track until his heart attack.  Bill loved to meet people from all over the world and introduce them to the speedway.  He received the Visit Indy Recognition of Service Excellence (ROSE) Award in 2016 and had an IMS tour bus named after him for his work at the track. Bill never met a stranger and would strike up a conversation with anyone near him. He was just as comfortable talking to Bobby Knight and AJ Foyt as he was talking to his family. He enjoyed friendships with several Indiana Hall of Fame basketball coaches and took weekly meals with some of them to talk basketball. He was often able to talk his way into attending basketball practices at IU and Purdue. Bill was a fixture at Ben Davis sporting events. He enjoyed his floor seat at basketball games and worked the chains for 35 years at Giants home football games. He was awarded State Championship rings acknowledging his support of the Giants. Bill was inducted into the Ben Davis Alumni Wall of Fame in 2019 for his support of the school and its athletes. Even though he was a diehard Ben Davis and IU fan, Bill also enjoyed activities at Roncalli High School, Carmel High School, Purdue University and even the University of Alabama in support of his grandchildren.

Bill was a strong supporter of the Wayne Township community. He was a lifelong and dedicated member of Fleming Garden Christian Church. He was also the past President of the Ben Davis Lions Club and served as the Lions Club District 25F Governor in 2014. He was very active in the district’s Camp Woodsmoke project and he made several trips to Mexico as a volunteer for the Lions Club International Sight First mission. He was also an active member of the International Association of Indianapolis 500 Oldtimers and Hoosier Auto Racing Fans club.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, sister Mary Ann, and nephew Kyle Hohn. He is survived by his loving wife of 62 years, Patsy Ann (Long) Uhrig; a sister, Lisa (Doug) Crosley of Dayton, Ohio; a brother John (Robin) Uhrig of Indianapolis; daughters, Denise (John) Velarde and Dawn (Patrick) Collier both of Indianapolis; a son Dan (Tracy) Uhrig of Carmel; his grandchildren, Delaney & Liam Collier of Indianapolis, and Benjamin & Michael Uhrig of Carmel; sisters-in-law, Wilma Hohn, Sharon (Russ) Stewart, Nellie (Dennis) Elmore, and Gina Bruce; plus 7 nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the staffs at Galion Hospital, OSU Ross Heart Hospital, Hospice of Central Ohio, and Unverferth House for providing such professional and compassionate care for Bill and the family.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in Bill’s name to Ben Davis Lions Club Scholarship Fund or Leader Dogs for the Blind.

Visitation will be held on Friday, July 30 from 4:00 to 8:00 at Flanner Buchanan-Speedway, 2950 North High School Road. Additional visitation will be held on Saturday, July 31st at Fleming Garden Christian Church, 530 South Taft Avenue from 10 am to the time of the funeral service beginning at 10:30 am. Burial will be in Crown Hill Cemetery.