Bill Terrell was born on January 5, 1933 in Fruita, Colorado. As a youth he was always on the run, conjuring up numerous outdoor adventures with neighborhood friends & recalled swinging into the river with his two best pals as one of his favorite childhood memories. An only child, Bill was a momma's boy, and HE the apple of her eye. However, the day Bill & his friend spent hours in an onion patch partaking of its harvest, he found himself an unwelcome presence back at home after momma took one whiff of him & ordered him outside to hose himself down!
An extremely hard worker throughout his life, Bill often maintained two jobs at a time in his early days, working as a printer, an usher in a movie theatre, and a school bus driver just to name a few. After graduating high school in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, Bill enlisted in the Navy, where he served four years during the Korean War from 1951-1955. Bill enjoyed his naval travels all over the world, especially Italy. He recalled fondly his service aboard the aircraft carrier USS HORNET CV-12, currently a museum docked on the shoreline in Alameda, California. Bill is a proud Veteran who earned a National Defense Medal, Navy Occupation European Theatre Award, and the elite China Service Medal.
Shortly after Naval discharge in 1955 Bill became involved in a baptist church youth group in Ontario, California. There he met the love of his life, Mary Lou Cassel. They married on August 15, 1959, and Bill graduated a year later in 1960 from CAL Berkeley with a Bachelors Degree in Engineering. And later did his Masters work at the University of Michigan. The couple moved to Seattle, & Bill began working for Boeing. He was one of the engineers that developed the Minuteman Missile, as well as the Saturn 5 Booster Rocket, which remains on display today at NASA Space Center here in Houston. In 1965 Bill began working for Bechtel Power Corp. in San Francisco. Over his 27 year career with Bechtel, Bill helped develop the Bart System railway in San Franciso, nuclear generating plants Pilgrim 1, Quanicassee, and Midland/Zimmer among other projects. From 1992-2000, Bill helped develop the South Texas Nuclear Plant, also the company with whom he was employed until his "Early Retirement" at the age of 67.
Bill & Mary Lou had two children; Julie, born in 1967, and Patrick, born in 1969. Prior to becoming a parent, Bills career required frequent relocation, and throughout his life he lived in nearly 20 different cities. But when the kids were 3 & 5 the family moved from Concord, California to Ann Arbor, Michigan. Happy memories were the mounds of shoveled snow Bill would pile on the front yard so the kids could make snowmen & ice forts, sometimes joining in with gusto when a raucous snowball fight ensued. Bill & Mary Lou both enjoyed community involvement, including coaching Patrick's sports teams, being scout leaders & participating in an amateur theatre group in which Bill both acted & operated as stage manager. The family took many vacations, some favorites being trips to Toronto, Bermuda, & Hawaii. And Bill always enjoyed Mary Lou's annual "Guess Family Reunions" held every June in Texas.
Bill was an extremely dedicated employee & family man, but still made time for numerous hobbies such as motor cycle riding, fishing, boating, waterskiing, welding, and working on his cars. When PC's first came out Bill built his own, piece by piece, and well as constructing a fully operable motor boat from scratch & building a new kitchen & a fireplace. In his earlier years Bill climbed Mt. Rainier & even once dressed in a turquoise tutu & danced the can-can! Bill was Mr. Fix It, always tinkering & eager to learn a new skill or begin a challenging project. Ever giving 100% to it as he always did with every task or adventure he undertook.
After retirement Bill continued to enjoy their church in Alvin, attending men's retreats & acting in some of the Easter dramas. He & Mary Lou often took two vacations a year, usually one international & one domestic. Trips to Alaska & Israel were favorites. And many, many cruises which Bill especially loved. Sipping tea at high tea time was always a highlight of his cruise experience.
Bill lived a very full life with a successful career, great friends & many travels. But perhaps his greatest success was his marriage of 56 years. He was a man who cherished & protected his wife relentlessly until the minute he passed from this earth. She was always first & he continually served her & placed her needs above his own. After nearly 60 of marriage Bill & Mary Lou still glowed while in each other's presence. And the love & tenderness they shared between them lit up the room wherever they went.
Bill's immediate family includes his wife Mary Lou, daughter Julie, SIL Stephen & their children Michaela, Brendan & Cole; son Patrick, DIL Deborah & their children John-Michael, his wife Rashida, Savannah, Richard & grandson Caleb.
Personally, Bill was a quiet man who loved to be around people even when he often remained silent. He LOVED to joke even if the humor was directed towards him. Bill loved that people thought he looked like Colonel Sanders, and grinned with delight recalling a man who approached him one day & told him, "YOU look like the CHICKEN MAN!" Bill didn't verbalize his deep feelings often, but his blue eyes told the story, as did his kindness & the way he cared for & cherished the people he loved. And he was ever the gentleman. Bill was a generous soul who wouldn't want that fact even mentioned, so great was his humility & desire to help others with no credit given or thanks required. And his gentleness, integrity & loyalty were some of his greatest traits.
From the families standpoint, it is almost impossible to list all the things we loved about dad. There are just too many. Older age only enhanced his sweet nature, and with that aging process brought him challenges which he faced with incredible grace, courage & faith. And sometimes great humor! God was always an important part of dads life, and he was truly a role model of "What Would Jesus Do" in so many aspects of his character. We are forever grateful to God for the gift of Bill; husband, father, friend & grandad. And the way he allowed God to strengthen his weaknesses, use those strengths for His kingdom, and faced every setback bravely & head on, never losing site of the race he was running, was an inspiration to those who knew him.
Bill graduated to Heaven on Thursday, December 3, 2015 at the age of 82.
Bill/Dad/Papa/"Poppers" has now gone home, but remains forever in our hearts ❤️❤️❤️.
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