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William G. 'Bill' Easton Chicago, IL Oakland, CA Seattle, WA San Francisco, CA Sacramento, CA Placerville, CA El Dorado Hills, CA QCWA # 27727 Chapter(s) 167 & 169 FISTS # 12026 |
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William "Bill" George Easton, Sr. died on May 11, 2019 in Cameron Park, CA.
He was active until the end of 2018 driving his Prius and walking a couple of miles every other day.
Bill moved 15 times before he was 18. His father, James Easton, Sr., worked for the Hearst newspapers and later was a small newspaper owner, publisher, and editor. His speciality was quickly making newspapers profitable, selling them to new owners, and moving on to this next challenge.
The Easton's were a family of classical musicians who played in family string quartets for entertainment. Marcia played cello (proté), Anna violin, James Sr. viola, Bill violin, James Jr. string bass. Both sons moved out of house after they graduated from high school in Oakland.
Bill started learning the printing business and worked as a laborer at Lockheed before joining the Army Air Corps. He entered the US Air Corps in 1942. He left in 1945 after WWII had ended as a First Lieutenant navigational and radio officer on B-24 and B-25 bombers.
He attended the University of California, Berkeley for one semester but found his ability to make good money as a printer in a union shop more attractive.
Bill was a ham radio operator his whole life with many friends on the air His call letters were W6UYD. He had an adventurous spirit and was briefly a radio operator on a private yacht that was going to sail around the world (it only made it to Seattle.)
He started working as a journeyman union printer in Oakland, Seattle, San Francisco, and Sacramento.
He married Ottilia "Tee" Luke Sherry on July 10, 1949 in Berkeley, CA. They moved to Sacramento and bought their first home in 1950 near Curtis Park. Bill worked as a union printer at the California State Printing Office on Richards Boulevard.
In 1952, his son, William George Easton, Jr. was born and in 1956 his daughter, Sherri Ann Easton (Compton) was born. In 1958 they built a new home in South Sacramento. Bill left work at the State Printing Office and went to work as a printing estimator for the News Publishing Company on Riverside Boulevard in Sacramento.
He started taking night classes in publishing and printing management. He was grooming himself for a move from the blue collar production side of the printing business to the estimating, management, organizational, and design side of a printing operation.
He eventually found himself back at the State Printing Office a civil service position as a State worker. He worked his way to the top civil service job at that facility as Program Manager of Printing and Planning Services. He retired in 1984.
His hobbies were ham radio, violin (played in the Sacramento Community Orchestra in the 1970's), playing jazz guitar, reading, boating (he had three boats over the years), some overseas travel and cruises, traveling in his RV with Tee and their cat Tasha.
He was a talented handyman, painter, electrician, woodworker, and gardener.He and Tee liked good food and wine.
His love of wine influenced his son, Bill Jr. to go into the wine business.
He is survived by his wife Tee of El Dorado Hills, daughter Sherri of El Dorado Hills and her husband Jeff Compton, and son Bill Jr. and his wife, Jane O'Riordan, of Amador County; grandchildren, Ryan Harrison of Rocklin, Cole Compton, of El Dorado Hills, and Ridge Easton of Sacramento.
No services are planned.
Please send any memorial contributions to the Sacramento SPCA, 6201 Florin Perkins Road, Sacramento, CA 95828.
Published in The Sacramento Bee on June 2, 2019
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sacbee/obituary.aspx?n=william-george-easton-bill&pid=193040865
From: qrz.com
I was licensed in 1943 while stationed in Chicago with the Army Air Corps Radio School. I got my Class B operators license at the FCC office that was a couple of blocks away. Upon being discharged in January 1946, I applied for a call and went on the 40 & 80M CW bands with the current call in March of that year. Early this year, I decided to try the digital modes and find them a lot of fun.
My other interest is music. I studied the violin in my youth and do enjoy the classics. I am also a progressive jazz listener and have taken up jazz guitar in my later years. At my age, the old fingers don't work that well and while I can no longer play the violin, I manage to chop out some licks and chords on the electric guitar.
My current station is a FT-857 on 2M/440 and FT-DX3000 on the HF Bands. Antennas:" MyAntennas" EFHW 80-10 and DK-3 Screwdriver Vertical on HF and Diamond 2 (5/8 W plus 1/4 W 2m/440 Vertical on Balcony. I'm on the third floor. The 80-10 is a 130ft. wire from the balcony to a Pine tree in parking lot.
I love to rag chew on digi or any other mode. Hope to hear or see you on the air.
73, Bill
