William "Bill" Alvah Wheeler

Bill’s remarkable life will be cherished by his longtime partner, Bette Taylor; his dog, Jules; his cat, Jordie; his children, Bill Wheeler Jr., Betsy Morris, Doug (Alison) Wheeler, and Heather (Paul) Dooley; his grandchildren, Alyssa (Matt) Ginn, Christopher (Esther) Wheeler, Abby Morris, Quinn Dooley, Piper Dooley, Zach Wheeler, and Bella Wheeler; Bette’s children, Wendy, Michael (Tiffany), John (Caroline) and Thad (Erika) Taylor. Bette’s grandchildren Henry and William Samson, Caroline and Isabella Taylor, Andrew Smith, Susannah and Julia Taylor, Alex, Blake, and Zachary Taylor, Todd McMurry, and four great grandchildren.

Bill was born in Paoli, Pennsylvania on July 9, 1934. He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1956 and began an extraordinary career. His work revolutionized transportation, being instrumental in the development of trains, airplanes, and cars. Bill’s professional life was not only exceptional in the form of his accomplishments, but also in the heart and spirit he inspired with all whom he worked. At Hurst Airheart, an LA brake manufacture, which worked with auto racing, he led his team to use auto racing technology to design the brakes for the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit). He came to Yakima in 1976 to become president of Dowty Aerospace, now Triumph Aerospace.

He loved Yakima and was President of Downtown Rotary and served as President and a board member at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital for 24 years. He was President of the Memorial Foundation and was on the board at the time of his death. He was a member of Englewood Christian Church.

Bill had the most positive attitude and was a very bright, hardworking, kind man with sparkling blue eyes and a contagious smile. Bill had the ability to make anyone feel welcomed and could make anyone laugh with his incredible stories. For example he (Dowty) once sued the Navy and won! But maybe his favorite story was his love affair with his 1969 Hurst Olds, of which there were only 3 made. He enjoyed traveling the globe with his best friend, Bette, and the two of them spent much time at Lake Chelan, WA, surrounded by friends and family. Bill loved cars and could frequently be seen driving his 1950 Ford convertible, Nifti50, around Chelan, waving and smiling at all he passed. It was in his nature to spread joy.

No one loved a party more. A celebration of life is planned for the summer. For memorials, please consider The Memorial Foundation, Yakima Valley Museum, La Casa Hogar or the nonprofit of your choice.