William "Bill" Heylens Sr., age 84, of Volga, died Wednesday, November 19, 2014, in Arlington, SD. Funeral Services will be 1:00 p.m. Saturday, November 22, 2014, at Grace Lutheran Church in Bruce, SD, with burial to follow in Elmwood Cemetery at Bruce. Visitations will be from 4-7 p.m. on Fridayat Eidsness Funeral Home in Brookings. William Heylens was born on May 20, 1930, to Constant and Margaret (Smith) Heylens in Volga, SD. He graduated from Bruce High School in 1948, and was drafted into the Korean War in January of 1952. Bill served his country faithfully until his discharge in October of 1953. Bill married Beverly Mohror at First United Methodist Church in Brookings on May 28, 1954. He began his working career as a relief depot agent in eastern South Dakota for the Chicago Northwestern Railroad. In 1959, Bill and Bev moved to the Heylens family farm to begin farming. In 1971, Bill was hired by SDSU to manage the Swine Research Farm. He retired from SDSU in 1992, but continued to raise cattle and hogs on the farm. In the early 2000s, Bill and Bev moved into Volga. Bill was a member of the Estelline and Volga American Legion Posts. He was also a member of the United Methodist Church in Bruce until it closed. At which time, he joined Grace Lutheran Church. As an avid outdoorsman, Bill loved to hunt all kinds of wildlife including deer, ducks, geese, and pheasants. Bill also loved camping and spending numerous hours at his lake cabin on Lake Oakwood. He was a true sportsman in every sense of the word. Survivors include his wife, Beverly of Volga; sons, Robert (Nancy) Heylens of Arlington, Thomas (Linda) Heylens of Bruce, Bill Jr. (Kathy) Heylens and John (Marlys) Heylens of Volga; ten grandchildren, Thomas, Daniel, and Russell Heylens, Michelle (Justin) Vande Weerd, Stephanie (Adam) Callesen, Amanda (Chad) Bjerke, Tara (Aaron Black) Krog, Dustin (Lindsey) Heylens, Kyle Heylens, and Krista (Tim) Larson; six great-grandchildren; Wesley, Charlie, Jade, Jody, Luke, and McKayla; sisters, Barbara Culey and Connie Culey and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.