Bill was born on January 14, 1939, in West Viola, Kentucky to a humble family of little means. While his family tried to provide him with the best they could, Bill’s education and opportunities were initially defined by the harvest. From a young age, Bill, like most children in his community, worked hard alongside his parents and friends in the fields. During these years, he developed many friendships that would preserve Kentucky in his heart and sustain him throughout his life.
At the age of 14, after realizing that farming was not destined to be his life work and exhausting all opportunities his hometown provided, Bill gave up formal education and hitchhiked to the city of Chicago, with only a few dollars to his name. There, he set his brilliant mind to learning multiple trades and working any job that caught his interest and paid the bills. Bill eventually found his niche working as an HVAC mechanic and operating engineer, quickly gaining a reputation in Chicago for efficiently accomplishing jobs that others couldn’t thanks to his mechanical aptitude. It was through Bill’s time as an engineer that he became a member of the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 399. Throughout his life, he was tremendously proud of his union membership and affiliation with IUOE 399, eventually serving as a Trustee and achieving 50 years of membership.
In 1973, Bill met his wife, Maria, through mutual friends. Together, they quickly realized that Bill’s knowledge of the trades and mechanical aptitude could be utilized to execute their entrepreneurial vision. With an uncanny mind for business and developing relationships and partnerships required for success, Bill and Maria founded several companies including firms that focused on electrical service, filter supply, and more. However, Bill’s passion for mechanical equipment eventually drew him to focus on Environmental Mechanical Services, which through his skill and hard work, grew into a formidable provider of mechanical services in Chicagoland. He eventually merged this company with The Hill Group, and spent the remainder of his career growing and leading Hill Environmental Operations (HEO), Hill’s Environmental Engineering division. At HEO, he placed highly skilled operating engineers into facilities to safely and efficiently operate critical HVAC assets and building infrastructure throughout Chicagoland. Through his time at HEO, Bill gained a reputation for unlocking the potential of those he employed while also providing life changing career opportunities. The lives that he positively impacted throughout Chicagoland are countless. By the time he retired, HEO was one of the largest employers of operating engineers, employing over 400. Bill was proud to provide white glove environmental services to many of the “big names” of the Chicago Skyline including Soldier Field, Sox Park, Northwestern Medicine, DePaul University, The Art Institute of Chicago, the Chicago Public Schools, and countless others. At the height of his career, nearly every person involved in building management knew the name, Bill Byerley, and today, nearly 11 years since his departure from the industry, his legacy is still carried on by those he loved and empowered to a successful career in facility management.
Throughout Bill’s professional journey, he held many jobs and learned many skills that allowed him to sustain his entrepreneurial spirit. These included spending time as a bouncer, gig mechanic, and even flipping real estate throughout Chicagoland. Bill was truly known as a “jack of all trades” with no job or task to great or outside his expertise.
While Bill found his professional passion away from Western Kentucky, he did not forget his roots. His children have fond memories of hundreds of trips to the farm to spend time with family and friends. His dearest wish was to have retired to Hickory, engaging in his lifelong passion of hunting and fishing, and to spend his final days riding the farm on his tractor.
Bill was a loyal and devoted friend. He would drop everything to care for “his people,” and was often the first person to go marching into battle to defend his family, especially his beloved children. He lovingly cared for his parents until their passing.
He is preceded in death by his beloved Mother, Eva Ellen (McGee), his Father, Arley Thomas, and a number of dear friends who departed this life too soon.
He is survived by his loving wife, Maria (Villarreal), his adoring children, William (Joan), Eva Marie Byerley Moeller (Doyle), and Michael Anthony (Alexandra), grandchildren, William (Terri) and Nicholas, his brother, Arlie, and many devoted friends. His loss will leave a “Bill shaped” hole in the hearts of many.
As already stated, Bill was proud of his Western Kentucky roots, an area recently devastated by December tornados. In lieu of flowers, his children respectfully request that donations be made to the Mayfield/Graves County Tornado Relief Fund to support the rebuilding of Bill’s hometown.
To do so, please send a check to the
“Mayfield/Graves County Tornado Relief Fund”
c/o Independence Bank
P.O. Box 9
Fancy Farm, Kentucky 42039.
*Please indicate that it is in honor of Mr. Bill Byerley in the memo section.
A Kentucky Visitation will occur at Byrn Funeral Home on Thursday, December 30, 2021 from 5 to 8 pm.
On Friday, December 31, 2021 at 11 am, a service will be held at Byrn Funeral Home.
Bill will then be buried beside his parents at Liberty Baptist Cemetery on State Route 1241, just down the road from his beloved Farm and where he was born.