Born on March 16, 1944, in Kellogg, Idaho. William, aka “Bill,” grew up across the street from the Bunker Hill Mine. That was where he played Cowboys and Indians and, eventually, the place where he would start to learn the basics of his future career while, as he grew older, working in the Bunker Hill office with the engineers from the mine. 

Bill had to begin the first decade of his life with several surgeries and physical therapy due to a birth defect (his legs had not been fully developed). This did not deter him from becoming an adrenaline junkie. Always pushing the limit with car racing, sailing, snowmobiling, golfing, and eventually, his engineering career. When he was a teenager, Bill moved to Bennet’s Bay near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, where his mom and dad retired. He loved the water and was always up to something on the lake, like skipping bullets with his 22 rifle. He attended Coeur d’Alene High School and had many adventures in his 1960 Volkswagen Bug. Cruisin’ up and down Sherman Avenue with his good friend, Richard Zabel, on a Saturday night. He liked to draw, create, design and engineer, so he decided that the University of Idaho would be a good place to get all the skills he would need to build and develop an amazing career. Bill’s father, mother, grandfather, and uncle were all U of I Vandals, so it wasn’t a tough decision. After graduating with a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering, he headed to Seattle for a job at Boeing and began his career in Engineering. He worked on various projects, including the 737, the Peacekeeper missile, the P8 Aircraft, and the F22 Fighter. That’s when he also realized his passion for auto racing and the need to go fast. He raced several types of cars and became the IRDC Champion in a Formula Vee. 

Bill met his wife, Patricia, at the race track, and they spent an amazing 35 years together. After the “McDougall Racing Team” retired, he became interested in sailing. He purchased an O-day 27 and learned to navigate on Lake Washington with Patti and his children: Scott, Tracy and Eric. He perfected his skills and eventually ventured out to the Locks and into the Puget Sound, making several trips to the San Juan Islands and even a few sailing trips in the British Virgin Islands. He and Patti bought a cabin on Gedney Island, aka “Hat Island,” and spent over 20 years entertaining, golfing, and making memories with what became his Hat Island Family. Having pushed the limits on the track and at Sea, his next chapter was on the snow with a Polaris Snowmobile. He spent weekends racing up and down the mountains, along with several adventures, including trips to Yellowstone National Park. He and several friends from Boeing would spend many wonderful days riding their sleds. Even getting stranded and needing search and rescue assistance. Laying claim to his Scottish roots, he took up the sport of golfing, which became a great excuse to drink a bit of his ethnic beverage, ‘Scotch’ at the end of a great round. Boeing had a golf league, and on Wednesday afternoons, he would leave work and play with his fellow golfers at Foster Golf Links. He made several friends for life and an occasional par and even a birdie now and then. Hat Island had a 9-hole executive golf course and was part of the Hat Island Yacht Club. If you’re Scottish and playing golf, it’s mandatory to toast the round and drink a little more scotch. Retiring from Boeing in 2006, Bill was able to spend more time at Hat Island and Palm Springs, where, you guessed it, he got to entertain, golf, and drink some more scotch. He enjoyed the desert not only because of the weather but also because he and Patti would venture out for a drive up Highway 74 and go out to their favorite restaurant down the street, El Mirasol, and have a margarita.

Patti, unfortunately, developed cancer in 2012 and passed away in 2013. Having lost the love of his life, he decided to get out of all the traffic in Seattle and move back to his roots in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He found a beautiful house on the river and spent many hours looking across the water at the beautiful scenery and an occasional bald eagle. After returning to Coeur d’Alene, he continued his passion for boating, car racing, and snowmobiling. He bought a speed boat and enjoyed taking his kids and grandchildren out tubing and "cracking the whip." He also built a 550 Porsche Spyder and added features to race it up Fourth of July Pass and enjoy the mountains in the area.

He also rekindled old relationships with his Coeur d’Alene High School classmates at their monthly breakfast. His classmates from U of I, Gary, Gary and Brian, had weekly billiards games at his home and many a great game of 8 ball or cutthroat.

He continued to go to the desert in the winters and spent time golfing and venturing out with friends. His son, Scott, lives in California and would visit often with family to visit Grandpa. Two years after Patti passed, Bill was diagnosed with Esophageal Cancer and battled its effects for another decade. He cheated death once in Seattle, once in Coeur d’Alene, and again in Palm Springs. He eventually lost this battle with his children by his side at his winter home in Palm Springs. Bill lived life with a passion and touched many lives. 

He has left behind a legacy of memories and friends. He is survived by his children, Scott and his wife, Wendy; Tracy and Eric; and his grandchildren, Kaley and her husband, Ben; Ashlee and her partner, Regina; and Taylor; and his great-grandchild, Audree. Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Patti, in 2013 and by his sister, Sally Felton, in 2023.

Please visit Bill’s online memorial and sign his guestbook at www.yatesfuneralhomes.com.