William “Bill” Elson Gard passed away at his home on March 14, 2026, at the age of 88 from heart failure.

Visitation will be from 1:00-3:00p.m., Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at the Egelhof, Siegert and Casper Funeral Home and Crematory, 2659 JFK Road, Dubuque where Full Military Honors will be accorded at 3:00p.m., by the America Legion Post 6 of Dubuque. Private Burial will take place in Woodlawn Cemetery in Alta, IA in the future.

Bill was born on January 25, 1938, to William Morris and Pearl (Elson) Gard in Springfield, IL.

He moved to Springville, Iowa where he lived on a farm and graduated from Viola High School in 1956. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Iowa in 1960. Bill enlisted in the army in 1960 and spent time serving his country until 1964 with some time spent in Kassel, Germany in army intelligence. After his discharge, he returned to Germany later in 1964 where he worked as a civilian in a ceramic tile factory. Bill received his Master of Arts degree at the University of Iowa in school Psychology in 1967. From 1967-1973 he worked as a school psychologist in northeast Iowa. Bill continued his education and in 1974 received his Ph.D. degree in Educational Psychology from the University of Iowa and worked for Dubuque County Schools and later Area Education Agency 1 until retiring in 1995.

Bill was an avid golfer and enjoyed the challenge of different courses. He and his wife, Adeline, belonged to the Friendship Force of Dubuque which allowed them to host people from other countries in their home and travel to foreign lands including Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Japan Lithuania, and Russia to visit citizens of those countries. Bill was also a member of Lions Club and enjoyed vegetable gardening. He was a voracious reader of history, science, and other cultures.

He is survived by his wife Adeline, whom he married in 1976; a nephew, Brooks (Debbie) Gard and their children Peytra and Will along with a niece Jean Callahan-Overman (Chuck) and Jean’s son Ryan Callahan.

He was preceded in death by his parents, and his younger brother, Alan.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given to a charity of your choice in Bill’s memory.

A special thank you to Dr. Jennifer Moore and other physicians who have treated Bill at Medical Associates over the years along with caregivers and caring neighbors and friends who have touched Bill’s life in Dubuque.