William Michael Bing

Best friend, loving husband and father, William "Bill" Michael Bing, 70, of Overland Park, passed away on November 5, 2022 at his home.

He was born on March 1, 1952 to John and Anna (Laur) Bing in Baltimore, MD.

On October 10, 1987, he married Judy Lucena Panek, and they eventually made their home in Overland Park where they raised their family.

William worked as a School Counselor for the Kansas City school district, until his retirement in 2008. After retiring, he worked as a substitute teacher at Spring Hill Schools. At work, he was known for his dad jokes, friendly smile and ability to connect with people from all kinds of backgrounds.

He was a member of Holy Rosary–Wea parish. He enjoyed cheering his daughters on at CYO volleyball and basketball games. He greatly enjoyed traveling all over the world including many trips with his daughters and wife. He also loved cooking, reading and anything to do with Disney. He woke up early every morning to make his wife breakfast and always checked to make sure that other people had what they needed before he thought of himself. Even in the hospital when he couldn't eat, he was sharing his cookies and other treats from the cafeteria with the people he loved. He was caring, intelligent, adventurous and full of life and love.

William is survived by his loving wife, Judy, his daughters: Meghan, Abby and Clara, and his granddaughter: Margo, brother and sisters: Jack, Karen and Carole .

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Margaret (Peggy).

William was a Benedictine Oblate. Memorial donations are suggested to St Benedict's Abbey in Atchison, Kansas.

His daughter would like to say the following message : My dad was able to give me so many gifts in his life.

He taught me to be kind and to care about other people. He taught me to want to make the world a better place. He taught me to fight for the underdog and make sure that everyone had a fair shot. He taught me to be curious and try new things. He taught me to take accountability and own up to my mistakes. He taught me to read and explore and to spend my life learning.

When we were growing up, we used to have "pretend summer school". And pretend summer school ended up being more field trips than anything else. But honestly, the field trips are pretty darn important. We went to the art museum all of the time. To the point that dad told us that it was our second home. We used to go look at the art with our sketch book and then we'd get a cookie and sit in the courtyard. He really encouraged us to challenge ourselves. He taught me about Henry David Thoreau when I was in fifth grade. And helped me make a movie about his life. He got me to read the "good books."

When I was younger, I was sick home from school and he got me the full lord of the rings trilogy on tape. We sat and listened to it all day. I've read the series multiple times now. And have seen all of the movies now. When we saw it in theaters, I screamed so loud that my sister thought it was part of the movie.

We took a lot of road trips as a family. We would drive all the way to Florida which is about 24 hours for anyone who doesn't know. It's a long drive and my dad drove the whole way.
Once on a road trip, I was reading Pride and Prejudice and I finished it halfway to our destination so my dad pulled into a Barnes and Noble to buy me Jane Eyre. I'd never heard of Jane Eyre and I had no idea what I was getting into, but it ended up being one of those books that really got me to fall in love with reading. Still upset about that stunt that Rochester pulled with his wife.

He was always giving me new books to read and recommending new authors. Before he died, he gave me a final homework assignment to get "Cancer Ward." When he was in the hospital, I brought it to him and we were joking about it being hard work. It's a big book. So even now, my dad has passed but he's still using his influence to get me to read the good books.
But I want you all to know that it is pretty big so I expect extra credit when I finish one. Also the author is Russian. So like double extra credit.

My dad was a great teacher. You could see his passion for learning and his love for helping other people. That kind of desire is contagious. My sister, Abby, is now an amazing art teacher and I know my dad was so proud of her. We'd get together and talk about teaching and education. My dad really put his heart into his work. And caring that much can be hard. It's a hard job. But he was never too tired to help us out. He gave us great advice. My dad did his best to perform corporal works of mercy to spread forgiveness and joy. He was greatly inspired by Thomas Merton. My other sister is now in Medical school and you can see how her dedication and enthusiasm has carried her far and continues to carry her. The Monday after my dad passed she said that she believed that he helped her take the test. If he were here though I think he'd say that she did it all on her own, but he loves her and supports her every step of the way.

My dad also loved to travel. I like to joke that my dad was a hippie and the more I learn about his life before us, the more I understand that he really was a hippie. In every good sense of the word.

Now to me, a hippie is a person who celebrates counterculture, protests wars (like the Vietnam War) and injustice in general. The kind of person who stands up against "the man."
"The man" might be the government or society or just the kind of people who don't put their shopping cart back in the parking lot. Whoever the man was, my dad taught us not to give into him. He taught us to chase our dreams. He taught us to stay kind. He taught us to be the kind of traveler who learns the language and eats the street food.

My dad and I took some great trips. And my dad inspired me to travel. I was raised on my dad's stories of the rabbit farm he stayed at in Mexico while helping to deliver donated items to a mission in Morelia which is just east of Mexico City. My dad had come along for the drive in a pickup truck all the way from Kansas City to help Fr Gier deliver them. Dad had also sought a spiritual retreat in Malaysia while staying in a small hut and sleeping on the beach. The roti canai that he woke up early to eat from the rolling carts cooking on hot plates while stray dogs begged for scraps. The airports that he slept in. The churches that took him in. The poetry he wrote. The photographs he took. The stories that he shared with us.

When I moved to China, my dad came and met me in Malaysia and we traveled to some of the places that he visited. We saw the new Penang with fancy new buildings and beaches that have been built up. We ate the food. I got to hear my dad use some local language words that I had no idea he knew. We traveled to Cameron Highlands where we saw the most beautiful Rose Garden that I've ever seen. Years later, he helped me move to Mexico and we visited Cathedrals and ate lots of tacos. It was amazing. And he came to visit me in Spain. We saw a flamenco show, visited the alcazar, visited Churches and Cathedrals, and took trains that passed through fields of olives. We went to art museums in Madrid. Someone offered dad a shot because he told them that he was tired.

My last trip with dad was to Utah. And we took the trip before I knew he was sick. It was so hot and we were camping and it was a 14 hour drive, but my dad didn't complain. He was just so excited to have a trip with his daughter. He just loved me and was so excited to spend time with me. And I'm really glad we did it.

I love my dad. He made me who I am today.

He has made a lasting impact on my life, my sisters' lives and on so many others.
He was a kind soul who really cared about his family and really wanted us to have a good life.

I am sad that he has left us now and I would have loved to have more time with him. But, I also believe that he was ready. He lived a good life and it was time.

I'm so grateful for all of the gifts that he's left for me and all of our good memories. I know I'll carry all of that with me for the rest of my life.

William Bing lived a good life and was able to spend his final days with his family in his home.
He was very loved.

We would like to thank KUMC and Catholic Hospice for all of their help in making his final days as comfortable as possible. To leave a condolence for Bill's family, or to share a special memory, click on the "Share Memories" button above.