Bill had a mind of his own and quit school at age 15 and went out on his own. He was a rebel in his younger days and was a character all his life which he lived to the fullest till the day he died. He entered the US Army in the midst of World War II and was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas where he helped dismantle the last of the horse cavalry. He was then sent to Europe with the 82nd Mechanized Cavalry, “Hell on Wheels” as a tank driver and fought in the Battle of the Bulge.

In 1947, Bill married his first wife Texanna Walden and to this union was born a son, Phillip Wayne and a daughter, Retha Ann. Around 1950 Bill came to Roseburg, Oregon, where his brother Bob was and worked in the timber industry by horse logging. When the Korean War broke out, he re-enlisted in the Army and went to Korea. He was wounded in this war, receiving a Purple Heart, and was treated on a hospital ship. After the war, Bill moved his family to Roseburg. In about 1990, he met the doctor who treated him on that ship at an Oregon Equestrian Trails (OET) meeting in Roseburg. He married Norma Thiele in 1965, who survives. To this marriage was born a son, Karl Wayne and he acquired a step daughter, Cindy Boughton. In 1998, he married his current wife Jill Rich and lived happily in Yoncalla and a place on the Umpqua River on Tyee Road.

All of Bill’s life, from a young man till he died, he was involved in saddle horses, mules and draft horses many of which he raised and trained. He liked to do things the old way and often commented he was born a hundred years too late. For many years he was involved with wagons, buggies and any type of horse drawn equipment. He worked horse stock in the fields and drove wagons in many parades. Pack trips were his passion and he often held horse packing demonstrations. In the early 1970s Bill was president of the Umpqua Trails Council. This organization had a dream of a trail from Swiftwater to the Pacific Crest Trail. The organization kept pushing the federal government to make this a reality and spent many days doing volunteer work on what is now the Swiftwater Section of the North Umpqua Trail. In 1996 the North Umpqua Trail was completed and Bill was very proud of his involvement in making this happen.

In 1991, Bill helped form the new Roseburg Chapter of OET. He also organized the Umpqua Harness Driving Club and was a member of the Back Country Horsemen. Bill and Jill spent hundreds of hours doing volunteer trail work at Mildred Kanipe Park and Kelsay Valley Horse Camp. Many happy times were had with his old horse friends and other friends in the area many of which he outlived. Bill was very quick witted and always had a comeback in any conversation. He would have made a good stand-up comedian. Bill was a lover of the outdoors. He was a fisherman and a hunter with a large collection of firearms and a strong supporter of the Second Amendment and The National Rifle Association.

Bill spent most of his working careers in the local timber industry working as a log truck driver for Roseburg Lumber and then for Douglas County Lumber. After retirement he had to keep busy, so he worked at Laurance’s fruit stand for several years and many remember him as “the melon man”. After Bill quit the fruit stand, Jack Laurance said he just shut it down because Bill was the only guy around that knew how to sell produce! We could go on forever telling Bill stories and we will be telling them for years to come. The family will be forever grateful to wife Jill for caring to Bill’s every need in his golden years. She did a great job.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents Pete and Flossie; son, Phillip; daughter, Retha Carstensen; sisters, Pauline Weatherly, Anna Mae Piccolotti, Norma Laviola, and Geraldine Weston. He is survived by his wife Jill; son, Karl Wayne (Renee); stepdaughter, Cindy Shonka; brothers, Bob (Janice), JT, Jim (Eileen); and sister, Betty Johnson.

A Celebration of Life will be held on April 25, 2021 at 1 p.m. at the Mildred Kanipe Equestrian Pavilion. Covid-19 restrictions means no food can be served. Bring your own, a chair, and your stories to share. In lieu of flowers, Bill would only ask that you enjoy his trails at the park!