William Hill Batt

William Hill Batt died peacefully in Henderson, NC on Wednesday, July 29th. Born the son of Arnold John George and Winnie (Lang) Batt on November 23, 1933 in Quitman, MS, he and his family had settled in Eureka, CA by 1940. He graduated from Eureka High School in 1951. By 1953 he'd married Yvonne Hansen and together they'd raise two sons and two daughters. In addition to being a loving husband and father during his 82 years, he was an accomplished saxaphonist, once playing a set with the legendary Dave Brubeck. He fought wildfires with the forest service. He worked as a pipefitter in a Georgia Pacific sawmill to pay his way through Humboldt State University, graduating with a degree in business administration in 1965. He went on to work for the IRS briefly as an auditor before moving into finance. He was responsible for arranging the financing of power plants across America. He retired in 1996 and spent his time traveling with Yvonne, renovating their home, creating beautiful stained glass and cabinetry work, gardening, and cooking. His last seven years were devoted to caring for Yvonne during her protracted illness before her death in 2014.He was preceded in death by his sister Rosemary (Batt) Deininger (2004), and his son Robert John (1988). He is survived by his sister Viola (Batt) Azevedo of Monmoth, OR; his daughters Julia Steenburgh and Cynthia Pannill, both of Longmont, CO; his son William K. Batt of Kenmore, WA, 11 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.