Sep. 30—- Doug Ruter remembers Bill Taunton as a man who was instrumental to the success of American Legion baseball in town and across the state.
Rand Middleton recalls Taunton not only being a big part of the baseball community, but also a business man who was a mover-and-shaker in several civic undertakings.
Kim Larson will tell you Taunton was a really good boss back in the day.
All involved reflected on the life of William “Bill” D. Taunton, Sr., who died Thursday at Bethesda Grand in Willmar. He was 94.
Taunton has Willmar’s main baseball stadium named after him. It’s the home of the
in the Northwoods League, as well as Willmar’s amateur, high school, American Legion and VFW teams.
“it’s great that it was named after him for what he did for American Legion baseball,” said Ruter, who was Willmar Legion Post 167’s head coach from 2010-2022 and who played Legion baseball when Taunton was active in the program. Ruter is a 1981 Willmar graduate.
“He was quite the guy,” Ruter said. “To have as many people as he did talking about him over the years and never say anything bad about him is amazing.”
Taunton was born in Eclectic, Alabama and served in the Air Force. He came to town to manage Tom and Bill’s Red Owl grocery store and hired numerous area teenagers, often giving them their first jobs.
Larson was one of them.
“I was a farm kid,” said Larson, whose farm was located in close proximity to the Tauntons. “Back in the day, you had to help pay for your own college education.
“Bill got me a job while I was going to (the then Willmar Junior College, now Ridgewater),” said Larson, who worked as a bagger and carry-out in 1970. “He made sure that I treated the customer No. 1 all the time. He always said if you do that, that’s great. And he also said that if the women offer you tip money, don’t take any. He’d say, ‘I’m the one who pays you.'”
Larson remembers Taunton being actively involved with the local 4-H Club that he was a part of as well.
“He was just a gentlemen,” Larson said. “He was a great benefactor to Willmar baseball. But he also did a lot for 4-H and the whole community.”
Taunton was instrumental in getting the state American Legion baseball tournament to Willmar in 1976, ’79, ’82 and ’92. He also helped Ely become the host of the 1980 Legion World Series.
Taunton also was an umpire, twice working as the crew chief for the American Legion World Series as well as a Big Ten Conference umpire. He also was active in many civil organizations, including the Willmar School Foundation and the United Way.
“If you needed to get something done, Bill Taunton was the man you needed to talk to,” said Middleton, the now-retired long-time sports writer at the West Central Tribune who came to Willmar in mid-1970s. “He was persistent in getting things done, but in a kind and gentle way.
“Back in the ’70s and ’80s and ’90s, he was the man — not just for baseball — but for any civic endeavor. He was a big part of the business community.”
His family helped raise the money to build the baseball stadium in 1979. The field itself was named after Orville Baker, who was Willmar Parks superintendent from 1956 until his death in 1977.
is at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Willmar’s United Methodist Church with interment and military honors at Fairview Cemetary. Visitation is from 5-7 p.m. Friday Oct. 3 at the Harvey Anderson Funeral Home in Willmar. and will continue until one hour prior to Saturday’s service at the church.
“He was special,” Middleton said. “He was really something.
“It was very appropriate that the Taunton name was on the scoreboard because he was Mr. Baseball around here.”
