William C. Hulse

William C. Hulse, repairer extraordinaire-r, passed away in his Wichita home on Sunday, January 21, 2024. He was 73.  A memorial service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, January 30, 2024, at Headley Funeral Chapel in Augusta, KS. A private burial will take place at a later date in the Sunset Lawns Cemetery in El Dorado, KS.
William was born in Ft. Scott, KS on February 18, 1950, to the late Mary (née Simkins) and Earl Hulse. His "papa was a rolling stone," but the family settled in Independence, KS for most of Bill's childhood. He good-naturedly terrorized the town until he graduated in 1968. He then enlisted in the US Army and completed Basic and Advanced Individual Training before serving two tours of duty in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged on December 24, 1970, surprising his family with his return home in time for Christmas. 
In 1973, Bill put his love of power tools and loud noises to work for McConnell Air Force Base. He worked as a maintenance supervisor for many years and made irrepressible changes to safety and infrastructure, such as fashioning a lunchbox for the pedestrian icon at a crossing sign. He was also a frequent lunch guest at the Base's bowling alley and other surrounding greasy spoons. He dodged retirement until May 1, 2005.  
Although he was always surrounded by family, he did not begin his own until November 9, 1979 when he married Kathryn (née Wike) at the First Baptist Church in Augusta. He had his three children in the '80s, before the invention of Gentle Parenting, and raised them to always close the damn door and turn off the light. Although they all have relished inheriting his sense of humor, they did not enjoy pulling his finger.
In his spare time, he enjoyed working on junk he hauled home from obscure locations.  Eventually, he built his own hot rod, which only took him ten short years (and a pile of auto magazines) to complete. He was quickly dissatisfied with any imperfections only he could see, but he enjoyed the friendships he made along the way. If he wasn't working on a car, he was repairing or improving something around one of the many houses he lived in over the course of his life.
He is survived by his wife, Kathy; a daughter, Megan Buaas (and her husband John) of Wichita, KS; two sons, Matthew Hulse (and his wife Ashleigh), and Mitchell Hulse, both of Augusta, KS; a brother, Richard Hulse of Wichita, KS; two sisters, Jane Fryback (and her husband Larry) of Edmond, OK, and Patty Isom of Kansas City, MO; grandchildren, Benjamin Buaas; Kaitlynn, Kaleb, Kyson, and Kinzleigh Hulse; and McKenna Hulse; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his sister, Ruth Ann Swyers, and his brother-in-law, Jim Isom.
In lieu of flowers, any memorial donations can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place Memphis, TN 38105-9959.