Fifteen minutes is the only thing separating Bill Lister from his passion of helping kids.
Lister suffered his third heart attack Sept. 11, 2006, while bowling at Paradise Lanes. He was told that if treatment had been 15 minutes later, he wouldn't be the subject of this story.
Lister, 63, is the assistant coach for the Park High School club bowling team and the coach of the junior leagues at Plaza Bowling Center, just another chapter in a life filled with service to his country (he's retired from the Air Force) and helping bowlers (he's been working with youth bowlers for 27 years, since his oldest daughter, Kari, was five years old).
He's been sidetracked from time to time - he had heart attacks in 1992 and 1997 and also had rotator cuff surgery in both shoulders (left in 2000, right in June 2008) - but he keeps on going. His passion for bowling helps to that end.
"I have to keep going," Lister said. "It's all about keeping healthy as much as possible. I figure if I stop, or go home and sit in a recliner, it won't be for long. I have to stay active - that's the way I've always been."
In addition to being a coach, he's pretty good on the lanes and has shown remarkable recuperative powers. Just five months after his latest rotator cuff surgery, Lister resumed bowling and carried at least a 200 average in each of his four leagues.
Earlier this year, he won a Racine Bowling Association City Tournament title, a Wisconsin State Bowling Association Senior Tournament title and won the Super Senior Division of The Journal Times Match Game Bowling Tournament Championship.
Lister's pet project this year is the In-School Bowling Program, which will make the rounds to Racine Unified schools of all levels and to a few private schools. He is the southeast Wisconsin coordinator for the program, which is sponsored by the United States Bowling Congress and the Bowling Proprietors Association of America.
There are two kits for Lister to use - donated by Castle and Plaza - and each consists of a 20-foot long carpeted lane with 10 pins and a reduced-size ball. The program, which is booked until June, is free to the schools and the first visit will be Jan. 4 at McKinley Middle School.
Lister hopes to pass along life lessons along with how to hit strikes and spares.
"These kids are our future and hopefully we can teach them not only how to bowl, but ingrain certain values that are needed to go forward in life," Lister said. "Hopefully, we can teach them integrity, honesty, teamwork, self confidence and most of all, to try to always do the right thing no matter what the outcome.
"As coaches, we are not out to change the world, but we must just try to make our little corner of it a little better and have fun doing it."
Here's a closer look at Lister:
AGE: 63 (born Sept. 21, 1946)
FAMILY: Wife Beverly; daughters Kari Lilly, 32 (husband Matt Lilly) and Melissa Wroblewski, 31 (husband Greg Wroblewski); grandchildren Katy Lister and Damien Lilly; step-grandchild Seth Lilly.
OCCUPATION: Retired from the Air Force for 26 years (he was stationed at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia and Scott AFB in Illinois); certified United States Bowling Congress Silver Level coach; Level 1 coach/instructor.
HOBBIES/INTERESTS: Teaching, woodworking, coaching, motorcycle riding, golf.
RACINE COUNTY RESIDENT SINCE: 1996
MY CLAIM TO FAME IN ATHLETICS IS: Georgia state fastpitch softball champion; Scott AFB base regional base bowling team four years in a row; Racine Bowling Association City Tournament handicap doubles champion 2003 and 2009; Wisconsin State Bowling Association State Senior Tournament singles champion 2009; Journal Times Match Game Super Senior champion 2009.
MY FAVORITE SPORTS TO PLAY ARE: Softball, curling and bowling.
MY FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH ARE: High school, college and professional women's fastpitch softball.
THE PLACE I'D MOST LIKE TO VISIT: Oslo, Norway and Manchester, England.
SPORTING EVENT I'D MOST LIKE TO ATTEND: The Summer Olympics.
MY CHOICE FOR A DINNER COMPANION, DEAD OR ALIVE: My wife.
PERSON I MOST ADMIRE: I enjoy everyone equally, but there is no one special person other than my wife.
BEST MOVIE I EVER SAW: Backdraft.
FAVORITE TV PROGRAM: NCIS.
MUSIC I LISTEN TO: 50s-60s and classic country.
THE LAST BOOK I READ WAS: U.S. Bowler magazine.
MY FRIENDS DESCRIBE ME AS: Wise-ass, fun, crazy, unpredictable.
MY FIRST JOB WAS: McDonalds in high school.
