William 'Bill' Post, Credited with Inventing the Pop-Tart, Dead at 96
The food executive helped develop the popular breakfast pastry
MKD Funeral Homes; Newscast/Universal Images Group via Getty
William Post and a box of strawberry Pop-TartsWilliam “Bill” Post, the inventor of Pop-Tarts, died on Saturday, Michigan's MKD Funeral Home confirmed to PEOPLE. He was 96.
Post was born to Dutch Immigrants on June 27, 1927, and was raised in Grand Rapids, according to his obituary published by the funeral home. His career in the food industry began when he was 16 years old, washing trucks for a regional bakery, Hekman Biscuit Company, which eventually became American cookie manufacturer Keebler.
He then served in the Army Air Corps during WWII. Once he returned to his home state, he attended Calvin College while returning to working at Hekman Biscuit Company.
At 21 years old, he continued to work for the company as a plant manager. Two decades later, he was asked by Kellogg's executives if the Keebler company could collaborate on a new product that Kellogg’s wanted to launch — the Pop-Tart.
MKD Funeral Homes
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According to the obituary, the popular pastry was originally named “Fruit Scones" before being retooled to pay homage to the Pop Art trend.
"It is at this juncture that Bill is often credited for having invented the Pop Tart. Bill would say, 'I assembled an amazing team that developed Kellogg’s concept of a shelf-stable toaster pastry into a fine product that we could bring to market in the span of just four months,' " read his obituary.
Newscast/Universal Images Group via Getty
Stock image of Kellogg's Pop-Tarts.Three years after the launch of the original Pop-Tarts, the Post family moved to Illinois so Bill could work at the Keebler Company’s corporate office.
He climbed the ranks, served as a senior vice president, and then retired at 56. However, he was then recruited by Kellogg to serve as a consultant — a position he held for the next 20 years. Two years after Kellogg purchased Keebler in 2001, Post and his wife, Florence, returned to Grand Rapids.
Post and his wife were married for 72 years before she died in 2020.
He is survived by his two children, Dan Post and Rachel DeYoung, and their respective spouses, Jackie Post and John DeYoung, as well as his seven grandchildren and his 10 great-grandchildren.
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The story behind Post’s invention has been chronicled in the upcoming Netflix comedy movie Unfrosted: The Pop-Tart Story. The film stars Jerry Seinfeld and is set to be released on May 3.
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