William Bruce McKown

He was born on May 9, 1944, in St. Louis, MO to John T. and Anne Love McKown. Bill grew up in Denver, CO and was on the high school wrestling team, a sport he continued at University of Colorado at Boulder. Upon graduating, he joined the US Navy and attended the Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI. He served on the USS Mansfield DD-728, a destroyer in Vietnam. The discipline and patriotism he learned in the Navy never left him, as his family and friends will attest. After his service in the Navy, he earned an MBA from University of Southern California (USC) and started a 25-year career at Security National Bank in Los Angeles, later Security Pacific National Bank. He transferred to San Francisco with the Equipment Leasing Division of the bank. Bill retired early to travel and learned to play the bagpipes at age 50. He was a member of the Macintosh Pipe Band for over 26 years and a member of the St. Andrew’s Society, a Lifetime Member of the Dolphin Club, a Dipsea Runner (he ran many triathlons), and was active in the American Legion Twin Cities Post 313. He was a long-time Elder at the Sausalito Presbyterian Church where he worked tirelessly on the House and Grounds Committees. Bill was a licensed pilot and enjoyed skiing, playing tennis, golf, ping pong, and horseshoes. Woodworking and stacking rocks were his favorite hobbies and brought joy to many. A volunteer for many years as a King Mt. Green Gorilla making trails and clearing brush for the Marin Open Space. A long-time resident of Larkspur, Bill was on many community committees and was Larkspur Citizen of the Year.

He is survived by his wife, Brenda, brother, Peter (Ken) of Denver, CO, brother-in-law Allen (Sandy) Brock of Littleton, CO, nieces Sarah (Jake) Edson, Centennial, CO., Laura (Colin) Berta of Lake Oswego, OR. and many cousins and friends. He was predeceased by his parents, his brother John, and his sister Martha Brock. The family wishes to thank Dr. Maya Katz, Dr. David Ogden, Dr. Lisa Oei, Rev. Paul Mowry and Hospice By the Bay for their wonderful care and support.

A Kirking of the McKown will be held on Saturday Feb. 5 at 2:00 PM at the Sausalito Presbyterian Church; reception to follow at The Spinnaker. Please park there and shuttle to the church.

The service will also be live on Zoom; for the link, email [email protected]. In lieu of flowers, donations would be most appreciated to pd-connect.org, macintoshpipeband.org or Sausalito Presbyterian Church.

He was a kind and loving man and a warrior to the end…fair winds and following seas.