William E. "Bill" Mellish, 92, of Elkhart, passed away on October 12, 2020, at his daughter's home in South Bend.

Bill was born December 4, 1927, to Albert and Bertha (Christiansen) Mellish in Ferndale, MI. He married Peggy Mollenkopf on December 20, 1952; she died on May 26, 2018. Bill is survived by his son, Tom (Cynda) Mellish of Crawfordsville, IN, and his daughter, Connie (Nick) Mark of South Bend; four grandchildren: Kate (Peter) Winton, Ryan (Jessica McGinn) Mellish and Todd (Olivia) Mellish, all of Indianapolis, and Nick (Megan) Marzotto, of Madison, WI; his great-grandchildren: Harold Marzotto and Coy Mellish; his sister, Nancy Mercier of Lebanon, OH and two nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Bill graduated from Mason (OH) High School, where he is a member of the Mason High School Athletic Hall of Fame. He served in the US Army Air Corps, attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant. Bill received his bachelor's degree from Miami University, Oxford, OH, where he was affiliated with Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He earned a master's degree from Ball State University.

Bill was employed by the Elkhart Community Schools for 37 years, as a teacher, school counselor, principal and attendance officer/juvenile court liaison. He coached many Weston Elementary School football and basketball teams to city championships. Bill was a basketball scout for Elkhart High School under coaches Max Bell and Keith Dougherty. In his retirement, he scouted for coach Dean Foster at Elkhart Central High School. He also coached the Elkhart Central Girls basketball team for two years.

Following his retirement in 1990, Bill was active in the Elkhart and Indiana Retired Teachers Associations. He and Peggy enjoyed golfing and travelling to see their beloved Miami University Redskins play football.

In accordance with his wishes, Bill's remains were donated to Indiana University Medical School to assist in the education of future physicians, dentists and physical therapists.

A gathering of family and friends will be from Noon (12 o'clock) to 4 p.m. Saturday, October 31, 2020 at Billings Funeral Home. Social distancing guidelines will be in place and the family requests all visitors wear a mask for the benefit and protection of others.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Indiana Retired Teachers Foundation Endowment, 2629 Waterfront Parkway E. Dr., Suite 105, Indianapolis, IN 46214.