William Joseph Politte, age 75, of Festus, Missouri, passed away Sunday, October 26, 2025 at Mercy Jefferson Hospital in Festus. He was born April 6, 1950 in St. Louis, Missouri, the son of the late Lillian (nee Rulo) and Joseph Politte.

He is survived by his wife Wanda (Coleman Henslee) Politte; children Kevin (Tina) Politte of St. Louis, Carla (John) Zettler of Hopewell, Missouri and Cory (Michelle) Politte of Desoto, Missouri; stepchildren Dwayne (Kara) Henslee of Windsor, Missouri and Brian (Edna) Henslee of Festus; numerous grandchildren, step grandchildren, great grandchildren; siblings Joyce Skaggs of Mineral Point, Missouri and Pegg Adams of Mineral Point; numerous nieces and nephews.

In addition to his parents he is preceded in death by his siblings Leroy Politte, Rachel Shepherd, Norma Hedrick, Laretta Stringer, Rhonda Adams, Robert Politte and Mike Politte.

William served in the United States Army in Vietnam. He retired from Ford Motor Company after 30 years where he worked as an assembler, he was a member of the VFW and volunteered at the Desoto Food Pantry. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping and playing cards.

Graveside services with full military honors was on Tuesday, November 4, 2025 at 9:00 AM at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, St. Louis, officiated by Pastor Justin Metiva. Arrangements handled by Vinyard Funeral Home. Obituary information for William Joseph Politte

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Paul Barnard is the editor of the Twin City News. Barnard Graduated from Norwich University, America's oldest private military college, with a B.S. in Communications and Media Technology. There he studied journalism and marketing. For years after, Barnard was in law enforcement and gained experience in the Special Investigations Unit and publishing all the department's press releases. As Barnard's family grew, he moved on to start Twin City News.

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