William Ezel Sawyer was born May 21, 1932, in Denver, Colorado, the sixth of seven children of Jesse Henderson Sawyer, Sr. and Cecil Lillian Snow Sawyer. He graduated from Manual Training High School in 1951. While in high school, Bill was active in the skiing club and was an all-city champion swimmer.
Bill married Linda Keith Hueston Sawyer on October 12, 1952. Their courtship had begun on the ski slopes of Colorado. They had three children- Marcia Delynn Sawyer, Holly Suzanne Sawyer and Michael William Sawyer.
From February, 1952 until February, 1956, Bill served in the Air Force. He worked as a Bomb-Navigation Systems Mechanic. While in the air force, he earned the National Defense Service Medal and the Good Conduct Medal.
Bill became a Master Electrician and with Linda’s skilled help in running the office, they had a very successful business together- Sawyer Electric Service. One of the many projects that Bill worked on was wiring the homes in the Robert Russell Eastern Star Masonic Retirement Campus. He also re-wired the assisted living center there, as well as the Masonic Lodge building in Central City, Colorado.
Bill was active in Masonry and served as Worshipful Master of Central City Lodge No. 6 in 1976. In 1982, Bill was the Worshipful Master of Research Lodge of Colorado. In 1986, Bill was nominated for Outstanding Mason of the Year by his chapter. He also served as the Grand Lecturer for the Grand Council of Cryptic Masons of Colorado. In 1975-1976, Linda and Bill were Worthy Matron and Worthy Patron of Loyalty Chapter No. 145 Order of the Eastern Star. Bill served in this role more than a few times, both here in Colorado and later in Texas. Bill was also active in Royal Arch and Shrine, where he was part of the Dune Buggy Patrol. He and Linda were also active in Amaranth.
Bill enjoyed many activities and avocations throughout his life. He enjoyed writing and genealogical research. He and Linda together enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, water skiing and scuba diving. He enjoyed leatherworking and showed and sold samples of his artwork at craft shows across the country, winning several awards.
Bill and Linda sold their home in Arvada and spent seven years touring the United States, Canada and Mexico in an RV, making close friends wherever they went. They eventually made their home in Buchanan Dam, Texas.
Linda passed away March 31, 2006 after a sudden illness, just a month after they had returned from attending the funeral of Bill’s brother Jim in Colorado. Bill remained active in Masonic Organizations in Texas, as well as the local Lions Club. He focused much of his time on making beautiful leatherwork gifts for family and friends. In 2016, Bill decided to return to Denver to be closer to family and moved to the Robert Russell Eastern Star Masonic Center. After a debilitating stroke in September, 2016, Bill had to move to increasingly skilled nursing facilities, but continued to make friends wherever he was until he passed from this life into the next on Monday, March 19, 2018.
Bill is survived by daughters Marcia Wilson and Holly Scott, grandsons Reuben Wilson, Luke Wilson and Bruce Wilson, great-grandchildren Emily Wilson, Dominik Moore-Wilson and Alex Moore-Wilson, sister Barbara Cox, sister-in-law Ruth Sawyer, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.
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