William Robert Tarpy

William Robert Tarpy was born in Long Beach, California on June 9, 1944, the second child of Robert Jewell Tarpy and Martha Louise Graham Tarpy. Uncle Bill attended John Muir Elementary School, Progress Junior High School, and graduated from Wilson High School in Long Beach, California. While earning good grades in High School Uncle Bill was a member of the National Honor Society.

Uncle Bill grew up in a loving home filled with Christian values. Throughout his life, he faithfully attended church, beginning as a child attending Silverado Community Church. As an adult, he attended Grace Methodist Church and other churches close to the neighborhood he was living in at the time.

At the age of five, his mother took him to a performance of Sleeping Beauty at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California. From that first performance, Uncle was passionate about, and dedicated to, classical ballet. Uncle began dancing with Valerie Silver in Long Beach, California. Uncle was fortunate enough to travel the world in pursuit of his craft. He learned and worked with the best. Uncle loved his time with the Joffrey Ballet in New York, the Royal Danish Ballet of Denmark, the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia, and the Royal Ballet in London. Uncle had fond memories of performing in Graduation Ball, the Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Coppelia, and The Puppet Show Man. Other favorite pastimes of Uncles were meeting new people, going out to eat and spending time with family and friends.

Uncle was predeceased by his loving mother and father, and survived by his sister, Marthanna Huffman, nieces Sherry Huffman, Diana Jones, and Keisha Huffman-Fort, and nephew Leon Huffman, III. Uncle was blessed with five great nieces, three great nephews, two great- great nieces, and a host of family and friends. Everyone will agree, that to know Uncle was to love him.