Wlliam Laas born about 1883 in Toledo, Ohio and was the proprietor of a garage in Houston, Texas. He was the son of Johann and Dorothea (Roggelin) Laas.

He was married to Clara who was born April 4, 1889 in Mississippi. She worked as a waitress. Clara died April 22, 1974 in Harris County, Texas. They lived at 919 Dallas Ave in Houston.

in the pre-expressway era before 1960s, it would have been a very long drive from Texas to Michigan. Yet, William Laas and his wife often made the trip to be at the annual Heiden reunions.