William B. Labahn, 66, of Las Vegas died at home August 8, 2004, only one month after being diagnosed with lung cancer. Bill and Patricia moved to Las Vegas 2 years ago from Orlando, Florida. Bill was born January 2, 1938 to Dorothy Schneider and Frederick Labahn. Bill held a BS in Biology from Illinois State University and a MED in Science Education from University of Illinois. He continued his dedication to science education teaching at Northeastern Illinois State University. He worked at Rand McNally & Co. for ten years during the 1970’s training teachers in one of the original hands-on science curriculums–SCIIS. He continued his education with graduate work in science education at Vanderbilt University, where he married Patricia Lewis. In the 1980’s Bill joined Delta Education, Inc. and infused hands-on science into southeastern territory from Texas to North Carolina. After 23 years with Delta he semi-retired to work for Ocean Challenge, Inc. selling SitesAlive Internet science programs. Bill is a life member of the NSTA and various science supervisors associations in FL, GA, TX, NC AND SC. Bill made Orlando his home, a place to raise his two children, Jason and Kate. He was dedicated to baseball . He supported his son in Windermere Little League and Eddie Renteria with the Astro Minor League. His daughter, Kate is a member of the USCPAA (US Cerebral Palsy Athletic Assoc.) participating in many world events. Bill burst with pride when Kate made her mark in swimming at the Paralympic trials. He enjoyed his trip to New Zealand to support the athletes in the 1999 International Paralympic Swimming World Championship and proudly watched Kate compete. When he moved to Las Vegas and retired, he continued his education at the Community College of Southern Nevada. In December 2003 he received a degree: Associate of Applie Science in Casino Managementwith honors. Bill is survived by his wife, Patricia Lewis, and son Jason Labahn working as a sous chef at FIX-a new restaurant in Bellagio; daughter Kate Labahn, a student at Hunter College in Manhattan, NY; brother Larry Labahn, a fireman/paramedic in Aurora, Illinois and his aunt Winona Engelhardt, 91 years young in Blue Island, Illinois. In lieu of flowers or a service the family requests memorials to the hospice organization of your choice or a charity supporting children’s needs as “Give the Kids the World” or support the National Disability Sports Alliance (NDSA): www.ndsaonline.org.
