John William "Bill" Carmichael

Mr. John William "Bill" Carmichael, age 82 years, of Jefferson City, Mo., passed away Saturday, December 3, 2011, at Golden Living Center. Bill was born on March 20, 1929, in East St. Louis, Illinois the son of George H. and Tina C. Mattingly Carmichael, being the fifth of six children. He married Betty Lou Newman on September 10, 1949, in East St. Louis, Illinois. He was a 1947 graduate of East St. Louis High School in East St. Louis, Illinois. After high school, he worked for Fouke Fur Company in St. Louis, Mo. from June of 1947, until July 1951, traveling to Alaska and back several times. He later graduated from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. His first job out of college was with Universal CIT Financial Services. He worked for CIT in Carbondale and Mount Vernon, Illinois and Paducah, Kentucky before moving to Jefferson City in 1961, as a district manager. In 1968, he decided to open his own car dealership. He worked with Jameson's Ford in Fulton and Kelly Pontiac in Columbia to learn the business before opening his own dealership. In 1971, he purchased the Datsun dealership in Jefferson City from Duke Wellington. By 1984, he had evolved to renting vehicles through Carmichael Leasing, which eventually became Carmichael, Inc. Over the years, Bill has been active in local civic affairs and service organizations. In 1980, he served as president of the Jefferson City Area Chamber of Commerce and also as president of the United Way campaign. He served in every volunteer office in the United Way campaign before becoming the campaign chairman. He also served for six years as a member of the Girl Scouts board of directors. He was a charter member of the Jefferson City West Rotary Club and was Rotarian of the Year in 1992. He was a member of the board of directors of the Missouri Automobile Association and was serving as vice president and president-elect the year he sold his automobile dealership in Jefferson City. He was also a member of the National Federation of Independent Businesses; Meadow Lake Acres Country Club; the Jefferson City Jaycees; and the National Rifle Association. Survivors include: his wife of 62 years, Betty Carmichael; one daughter, Beverly Heidbreder (Lee) of Holts Summit, Mo.; two sons, John William "Bill" Carmichael Jr. (Linda) of Jefferson City, Mo. and Bob Carmichael (Pam) of Topeka, Kansas; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, two sisters, and three brothers. A memorial visitation will be at Freeman Mortuary from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. Monday, December 5, 2011. Those desiring may make memorial contributions to Girl Scouts or the Central Missouri United Way. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Freeman Mortuary. www.freemanmortuary.com