DELL RAPIDS, S.D. William L. Connor, who 10 years ago at the age of 40 walked away from the presidency of a credit card bank to found a motorcoach company on the Dakota prairie, died early this month after battling leukemia for four years. Mr. Connor was 50.

Owing to humble roots, Mr. Connor had to hop a city bus whenever he needed to get anywhere in his hometown of St. Paul, Minn., as a child and youth. As a result of that experience he developed a life-long love of buses.

Much later, after achieving business success and rising to be president of Security Service Corporation, a subsidiary of a bank that specializes in issuing credit cards, Mr. Connor shed his banking mantle to start Prairie Coach Trailways in 1998.

He picked Dell Rapids because it was near Colton, S.D., hometown of his wife and partner, Nola.

His family says he was never happier than when he was behind the wheel of one of the 12 buses in his fleet.

After his son, Jaran, was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer in 1999, Mr. Connor was inspired to form a nonprofit corporation, Angel Bus, which was patterned after Angel Flight.

The mission of Angel Bus was to coordinate travel across the U.S. -- for terminally ill children in luxury and conversion coaches. Before his own illness, Mr. Connor personally drove several Angel Bus missions.

He said he was always humbled by the opportunity to serve those most in need.

Mr. Connor was diagnosed with acute leukemia 20 days after his son died in 2004, and he fought the disease in one form or another during the next four years, with rare periods of remission.

When first diagnosed, Mr. Connors goal was to live to celebrate his 50th birthday. He met that goal a few months ago. Shortly afterward, the leukemia returned.

Mr. Connor was greatly admired by those who knew him.

"Bill was a great champion for our (Trailways) team," said Gale Ellsworth, president of CEO of the Trailways organization. "Many of us were able to spend time with Bill during Trailways 72nd annual gathering this past March in Los Angeles. Bills friendship, great sense of humor, marketing savvy, altruism and spirit of entrepreneurship will be greatly missed."

Shortly after he founded his coach company, Mr. Connor contacted the anchorman at a Sioux Falls, S.D., television station in an effort to gain some publicity for his new business.

The anchor, Doug Lund, agreed to see Mr. Connor, who drove one of his coaches to the station. "I couldnt believe his enthusiasm over buses, of all things," Lund recalled a couple of days after Mr. Connor died.

"In all my years, Ive never met anyone more considerate of others or more open and passionate about things than Bill Connor," said Lund.

Besides his widow, Mr. Connor is survived by his mother, Marge Hughes of Brainerd, Minn; his foster parents, Grant and Judith Johnson of Pillager, Minn.; his daughter Anika Athman of Sartell, Minn., and several brothers and sisters.

A memorial has been established in Mr. Connors name with the River of Hope Foundation, P.O. Box 1597, Sioux Falls, SD 57101. A donation form is available at www.riverofhopefoundation.org.

Tributes to Mr. Connor can be found on the Prairie Coach Trailways website, www.prairiecoach.com, and the website of South Dakota television station KELO, under the Lund at Large link.