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William Robert “Bill” Tomlinson 1940-2023

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William Robert “Bill” Tomlinson, 82, of Ashland, Wis., passed away Saturday, February 18, 2023, at Memorial Medical Center, in Ashland.  He was born July 18, 1940, in Ashland, the son of Robert and Ruby (Burnside) Tomlinson.

   In 1958, he graduated from Ashland High School and on January 5, 1963, he married Barbara Lumberg, in Ashland.  He was the owner and operator of Tomlinson Inc, for 60 years. His hobby and his life were the towing business and as Bill would always say, “I tow”.  He was a member of Saron Lutheran Church, in Ashland and was an active member in so many different areas of the towing industry.  He was a Charter Member, Board Member, and Board Chairman, of the Wisconsin Towing Association and the Chairman of the Towing Convention and Towing Education Committee.  In the 80’s and 90’s, Bill headed up the Saturday demonstration of uplifting semi-trucks, as a recovery training.  He enhanced this training by organizing a tractor-trailer demonstration; which involved 12 young children that pulled cables with their hands and body strength to upright it.  He was an early moderator of the Saturday morning “Talking Towing”.  Bill was awarded the George Lansar Award as “The Special Person”, for the Wisconsin Towing and Recovery Associations.Bill was an active member in the Towing and Recovery Association of America:  where he also held many titles.  He was a Charter Member, was on the Education and Training board, Special Education Committee, Legislative committee, the Chairman of the Truck and Equipment Specification Committee; along with being the Chairman of the Council of States Towing Association.Bill was inducted in the International Towing and Recovery Hall Of Fame where he was a Charter Member of Friends of Towing.  He was a part of the Hazmat Special Training Group. In the 90’s Bill received the American Towman Award for being one of the oldest Towing companies in the United States. At the time, he ranked 24th out of 500. When Bill was asked what his outside interests were he replied by saying, “Towing!” One will never forget that Bill pioneered the “By-Jesus” hook-up method.

He is survived by his loving family; wife, Barbara; children, Carrie (Donald) Dahl, Mary (Chris) Barnes, Bob (Sandy) Tomlinson Sr., and Dana (Nick) Ecker; grandchildren, Tony (Georgia) Martin, Chad (Kendra) Martin, Brock Martin, Michael Dahl, Jessica Nettleton, Chuck Nettleton, Jessica Anderson, Bob (Krystal) Tomlinson Jr.; great-grandchildren, Trenton Bond, Cameron Bond, Makenah Stricker, Brysen Stricker, Madyson Anderson, Makaiya Stricker, Adalyn Martin, and Chloe Tomlinson; a sister, Jan Tomlinson; sister-in-laws, Lois (Dick) Johnson, Jan (Dale) Kupczyk, and Carol Lumberg; brother-in-law, Jim Lumberg; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; father-in-law and mother-in-law, Roy and Dorothea Lumberg; brothers-in-law, Gary Lumberg, Arnold “Gusty” Lumberg, and William “Bill” Erickson.

A funeral service will be held 11:00 a.m., Saturday, March 4, 2023, at Saron Lutheran Church in Ashland, with Pastor Paul Simmons officiating.  Visitation will be held from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., on Friday, March 3, 2023, at Frost Home for Funerals and continue one hour prior to the service on Saturday, March 4, 2023, at Saron Lutheran Church in Ashland.

A procession to Bill’s place of rest will be held on Friday, May 26, 2023.  A Tomlinson tow truck procession will begin at Frost Home for Funerals and will proceed East on 6thStreet, down Stuntz Ave., then going west on 2nd Street, and then finally South on Sanborn Ave, to his place of rest at Mt. Hope Cemetery, in Ashland.  Graveside services will be held at approximately 2:00 p.m. at the cemetery.  Friends are encouraged to join the procession behind the last tow truck, up to the cemetery.  Following the graveside service everyone is invited to a gathering to celebrate Bill’s life at the Ashland Civic Center.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the family; where the funds will be donated to the Survivor Fund at the International Towing Museum, which will be used to help those who are killed in line of service in the towing industry.

Arrangements are by the Frost Home for Funerals, in Ashland.

Source: Frost Home for Funerals

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