William G. Backus

William Grose Backus, 73, of Roanoke, died Sunday, January 22, 2012, after a short illness. A native of Ansted, West Virginia, he was a graduate of W.Va. Institute of Technology and a former employee of ISO/CRS in Charleston, W.Va. He was the son of Elsworth and Elsie Grose Backus who predeceased him. He is survived by his wife, Kay Holder Backus of Roanoke; his sister, Anna Conner of Cool Ridge, W.Va.; and his cousin, Nancy Barton (Judith Kupersmith) of Pinellas Park, Fla.; also surviving are two sisters-in-law, Luzetta Carte, (Charles) of Bridgevile, Pa., and Priscilla Johnson, (Johnny L.) of Roanoke; two nieces, Robin Evans (Kevin) of Cool Ridge and Amy Padgett (Ty) of Vinton; two nephews, Joseph Ball, of Cool Ridge and Brian Carte of Bethel Park, Pa.; five great-nephews, Seth and Nathan Evans, Steven and Jimmy Carte, and Christopher Barnes; and two great-nieces, Brooklynn and Bryn Padgett. William was an accomplished woodworker, and enjoyed crafting fine furniture as well as smaller projects. He also was an avid walker at Garst Mill Park in Roanoke and will be greatly missed by his friends there. The family would like to thank friends and neighbors for their concern throughout William's illness. Honoring his wishes there will be no visitation and no service in Roanoke. There will be a private family memorial service at a later date.