William Michael Good

William Michael Good, better known as Bill or Billy by family and friends, was born on January 22, 1954 to Emory & Esther (Johnson) Good in Parsons, KS. He was the youngest of four, a surprise blessing to his family. From an early age, Bill was ornery and loved a good laugh. In his youth, he was a Cub Scout and a newspaper delivery boy for the Parsons Sun. He attended grade school and high school in Parsons, graduating in 1972 as a proud Viking from Parsons Senior High.

He attended trade school in Tulsa, OK, earning his airframe and powerplant mechanics license from the Spartan School of Aeronautics. He moved to Wichita where he met Marjorie Joan Schneider. They were married on September 18, 1976. He and Marjorie had two daughters; Sara Beth and Melissa Ann.

Billy started his aircraft career at Beechcraft and later worked at Boeing Aerosystems for nearly 25 years as a flightline mechanic in the Commercial Aircraft Modification Center. He also had the honor of working on special projects such as Air Force One and NASA’s Shuttle Carrier Aircraft modification program during his time with Boeing Military Airplane Company. But most of all, he made friends who became his family away from home. He spoke of his years there with fondness and often reminisced about the glory days of Boeing.

Following his career in the aircraft industry, Bill pursued another passion and earned his commercial drivers license. He drove dump trucks for Mike Ysidro Trucking and a semi route between Wichita and Olathe for Veritiv. Following his retirement, he enjoyed tinkering with various projects, much like his father before him, who was an amateur inventor. Bill had the ability to make anything work well beyond its natural lifespan and loved to scour manuals until he figured out the puzzle of why something wasn’t working.

Bill’s other lifetime interests included fishing, camping, antique tractors, bird watching, trains, antique cars, and airplanes. His eyes lit up when he was talking about any of these things, and he pursued each of them with the wonder of a little boy. One of his greatest joys in the final days of his life was seeing the Union Pacific Big Boy No. 4014 steam locomotive.

On Wednesday, October 30, 2024, Bill passed in his sleep at Grasslands Estates senior apartments. He had lived there for only a couple of months, but had come alive again in the company of new friends after many years of self-isolation. He spent those months smiling, laughing, and joking, much to the joy of his daughters. He made friends out of strangers with his easy-going demeanor and self-professed ability to ‘bullshit with the best of ‘em.’

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Emory and Esther; his sister, Donna Fish and brother-in-law, Edwin Fish; and sister, Judith Langley.

He is survived by his daughter, Sara Good; daughter, Melissa Whiteside and son-in-law, Joshua Whiteside; grandson, Thaddeus Grier; bonus grandchildren, Noah and Julianne Whiteside; mother of his children, Marjorie Good; brother, Larry Good of Prescott, AZ; and beloved nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will occur November 8th, 1pm at Resthaven Mortuary, 11800 W. Highway 54, Wichita, Kansas, 67209. A graveside service will occur November 8th, 3pm at Resurrection Cemetery, 1640 N Maize Rd, Wichita, KS 67212.