William Arthur Jr., 71, of Searsboro passed away Saturday evening, November 26, 2016 at his home. Funeral services will begin at 11:00 am Wednesday, November 30, 2016 at the Holland-Coble Funeral Home in New Sharon. Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service. Burial will be held in the Stewart Cemetery near Taintor. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Stewart Cemetery Association.

William Thomas Arthur Jr., the son of William and Lola (Piersel) Arthur, was born on November 23, 1945 in Oskaloosa, Iowa. He graduated from Lynnville-Sully High School in 1963 before graduating from the University of Northern Iowa with his Bachelors Degree in 1967. Junior was drafted in the United States Army where he was stationed in Germany. Following his honorable discharge in 1971, Junior went back to the University of Northern Iowa and received his Masters Degree. He taught school for a couple of years at Grundy Center. In 1976, Junior went to work for the United States Postal Service where he started in Grinnell for a year or two before going to Des Moines retiring in 2013 after 37 years of service. Junior was an avid gardener and had a passion for collecting rare seeds. He also enjoyed flowers. He was a member of Seed Savers.

He is survived by a brother, Dennis Arthur of Searsboro; three nephews, James (Balinda) Arthur, Nathan (Theresa) Arthur and Andrew (Erin) Arthur; four great nephews and nieces, Kei, Ash, Gideon and Alayna; three step great nephews and nieces, Katelynn, Corwin and Jordan and many other relatives and friends.

William was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Chester Allen.