William "Bill" Luther Totten
William "Bill" Luther Totten, III, 71 of Vinton, Virginia passed away on Wednesday, November 6, 2024. Bill was born in Hampton, Virginia on August 11, 1953 to the late William Luther Totten, II and the late Mary Lou Mustard Totten.
Bill was a graduate of W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, VA, class of 1972. He went on to attend George Mason University where he was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity. As a member, he served as Grand Treasurer, Pledge Master and was Man of the Year in 1976.
He enjoyed eating out and could tell you the best restaurants in all the cities he visited for work and pleasure. Most work days you could find him having breakfast at Dogwood Restaurant in Vinton or the local Waffle House, where he would chat with the staff and other customers. Another favorite eating spot was Don Ho's, where he met his buddies twice a week and discussed sports, including the yearly fantasy football challenge.
He was an employee of Danco Inc., a division of NCH Corp., Irving, TX for over 18 years where he worked as a manufacturer rep calling on hardware and plumbing supply stores primarily in the state of Virginia. He also worked in W. Virginia, Tennessee, Indiana and Kentucky during his time with the company. He was loved by all of his customers, many of whom remain friends to this day. He was always there for his customers and was known to go above and beyond to meet their needs. As with his customers, he was always a friend to his fellow Danco representatives across the U.S and the office staff in the Dallas / Irving office.
Bill worked at Northwest Ace Hardware in Salem for over seven years as a sales associate, starting on April 14, 2017. He brought with him a wealth of knowledge in plumbing, keys, and hardware that proved invaluable to his co-workers and the company. He absolutely lived to be a businessman, always ensuring that no customer left the store empty-handed. His "heart of gold" shone through in his unwavering commitment to helping people find exactly what they needed. Bill's presence and character will be deeply missed by all of his colleagues as well as the customers he served so dearly. They will forever cherish the memories and the impact he made on their lives.
Bill joined the Roanoke Kennel Club in September 1984. He was instrumental in helping to run the club, serving as a Board Member, Secretary, and President. In November 2012, Bill became the show chair for Roanoke Kennel Club and for our Mountain Valley Cluster 5 day shows. Since that time, he has worked tirelessly to keep the shows running smoothly. His jobs include hiring judges, compiling breed judging assignments, working with the Salem Civic Center, and serving as liaison with the two other kennel clubs in our cluster. Show Chair is a very demanding job, and Bill did an outstanding job keeping the cluster shows running smoothly. For the last several years, he has also been our AKC delegate which required quarterly trips to the many AKC delegate meetings and committee meetings and keeping the club up to date on the latest AKC rules and regulations. In 2021 he was Roanoke Kennel Club Member of the Year. Bill was a breeder/owner of several top winning Norwegian Elkounds and was a longtime member of the Norwegian Elkhound Association of America. He served on the Board for many years, and until just recently, he served as the show chair for their specialty. Bill was well-loved and respected by all who knew him and will be greatly missed.
Bill will be missed and remembered by his wife, Kay Totten, daughter and son-in-law, Jessica and Steven Flores; grandchildren, Billy and Dakota; sisters, Melissa Totten and Karen Cox and her husband, Vance Cox; nephew, Evan Lyons and his wife Ginny Lyons, niece, Helen Cox and great-niece Riley Lyons.
There will be a gathering of friends and family on Monday, November, 11, 2024 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at Simpson Funeral Home, 5160 Peters Creek Road.
A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 12, 2024 in the Mechanicsburg Cemetery in Bland County, Virginia. From Bland, VA go east on Route 42. Just after Crandon turn right onto Mechanicsburg Road. The cemetery is a short distance on the left.
In lieu of flowers the family has requested that memorial donations be made to the animal welfare organization, Angles of Assisi of Roanoke, or the animal shelter of your choice.
Funeral arrangements by Simpson Funeral Home (540) 366-0707.
