William Leslie "Bill" Tennell, 70, of Shelbyville, passed away peacefully Monday, March 18, 2013, at his residence with his loving family present.

He was born Sept. 5, 1942, to Cecil L. Tennell Sr. and Dorothy (Goff) Tennell in Shelby County. He married Reba (Bartlett) Tennell June 23, 1963, and she survives in Shelbyville. She was looking forward to celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary.

Other survivors include daughter, Valarie (husband, Scott) Pickett of Waldron; sons, Greg (wife, Angie) Tennell of Lawrenceburg, Ky. and Chris (wife, Julie) Tennell of Franklin; five granddaughters, Jill (husband, Dustin) Castor of Fairland, Olivia Tennell and Sophia Tennell of Lawrenceburg, and Megan Tennell and Mia Tennell of Franklin; five siblings, Doris Kendall of Greensburg, Harold Tennell of Franklin, Maurice Tennell of Flat Rock, Rose Helmick of Greensburg and Ronnie Tennell of Flat Rock; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Cecil Tennell Jr. and two sisters, Betty Runshe and Norma Meal.

Mr. Tennell graduated from Southwestern High School in 1960. He worked at General Electric/Wellman Furnaces, Inc. as an industrial furnace builder from 1966 until he retired in 2004. He was a member of Bengal Christian Church and attended Shelbyville Community Church. Bill enjoyed coaching his sons' Little League teams, comparing fish stories with his brother-in-law, Wendell Bartlett, and searching for arrowheads. His hobbies included fishing, hunting, bird-watching and gardening. He was an Indiana Pacers basketball fan and liked spending time with his granddaughters.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 21, 2013, at Murphy-Parks Funeral Service & Crematory, 703 S. Harrison St., Shelbyville, IN 46176.

Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Friday, March 22, 2013, at the funeral home with Mary Poppelwell and Saint Frances Hospice Chaplain Cathy Blanchard officiating.

Memorial contributions may be made in William's honor to Shelby County Cancer Association in care of the funeral home.

Funeral Directors Greg A. Parks, Sheila J. Parks and Stuart H. Parks are honored to conduct the services for Mr. Tennell.

Online condolences may be shared at www.murphyparks.com.