William (Bill) Bender, 72, Overland Park, KS, died January 2, 2025, at the home. Mr. Bender was born Sept. 25, 1952, in Kansas City, MO, the son of Floyd David Bender and Inez Joyce (Johnson) Bender. He attended Kansas City, KS schools and was a member of the Washington High School Class of 1970. In 1971 he enlisted in the US. Army, doing his basic training at Fort Benning, GA. He was stationed at Fort Riley, KS, where he worked as a tank mechanic with the Big Red One armored division. In 1976, he was accepted into the Kansas City bricklayers union and worked with the Local BAC 15 for more than 30 years. He also worked for a time in construction in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Bender was an avid sportsman and traveled both nationally and internationally with the local fly-fishing community. He enjoyed nature and the outdoors. His favorite activity was being near the water and landing an especially challenging game fish. He is survived by a son, David Bender, Tahlequah, OK; a brother, John Bender, Kansas City, MO, and two sisters, Liz Miller, Scottsdale, AZ, and Cynthia Bender, Tampa Bay, FL