William Shannon Castle

William Shannon Castle, 91, of Indianapolis, formerly of Speedway, passed away on Monday, December 5, 2011. He was born on June 24, 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska to Drew William and Mildred Viola (Strong) Castle. Bill grew up in Joliet, Illinois and it was there at Joliet Junior College that he met his future wife, Esther Ward. Bill graduated from Joliet Junior College in 1940 and attended the University of Illinois, where he was a member of Delta Sigma Phi Fraternity. He graduated with his Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering in 1942. After graduation he and his new bride moved to Indianapolis, Indiana where he worked as a Test Stand Engineer for the Allison Division of General Motors Corp. Bill worked there until his retirement in 1981 as Assistant Chief Engineer. During the 65 years that Bill and Esther lived in the Speedway area, they became very involved in several clubs: Antique Automobile Club of America, Bentley Drivers Club, Classic Car Club of America, Harry A. Miller Club, The Horseless Carriage Club of America and the Veteran Motor Car Club of America, where Bill served as a Technical VP, Executive VP and National President in 1967. They are also longtime members of the Speedway United Methodist Church. Bill was known as a remarkable man to all who knew him, especially by his family. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Esther Ward Castle; son, Terry Shannon Castle and his wife, Karen Sue (Lawson) Castle; daughter, Betty Castle Poythress and her husband, Christopher Allan Poythress; granddaughter, Heather Castle Perdue and her husband, Neil Hunter Perdue; grandson, David Scott Poythress and his wife Nicole Marie (Fagan) Poythress; grandson, Brent Shannon Castle and his wife Kendra Leigh (Gibbs) Castle; and granddaughter, Sarah Elizabeth Poythress. Funeral services for Mr. Castle will be held at the Speedway United Methodist Church, 5065 West 16th Street, Speedway, Indiana, on Friday, December 9, 2011 at 1pm. Visitation will be held at Flanner and Buchanan –Speedway, 2950 North High School Road, Indianapolis, Indiana, on Thursday, December 8, 2011 from 4 until 8pm. Burial will take place at Washington Park North Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to the Speedway United Methodist Church, or to the charity of the donor's choice. You are invited to go to the Guest Book page to pass along your personal message or tell a story. Sincerely, -Your friends at Flanner and Buchanan