William G. Patterson

William Guthrie Patterson was born to Robert and Ruth Patterson on August 22, 1958. He spent most of his early life in Shaker Heights, Ohio outside of Cleveland. He enjoyed hockey, fast cars and being with his best friends whom Bill never forgot. After high school he received a bachelor’s from Central Washington and worked in the industries of auto parts and wholesale electrical distribution. After working electrical in Anchorage he began living in the Seattle area and continued life in the city. It suited him well, but adventure called.

In October 1996 Bill took his first trip to Sun Valley to help a friend shut down a cabin and he met Maureen. In December he decided he should return to Sun Valley to ski that big Bald Mountain he had seen in October. Baldy and Olympic turned out to be a little too much on that fateful day, and he blew up his lower leg and probably some of his ego.

As fate would have it, he and Maureen had exchanged phone numbers back in October, so he called her. She said she would take care of everything, and she did, and they did for the last 29 years.

Bill loved his mountain community. He loved skiing Baldy and the friends he made there were lifelong to him. Even though he hasn’t been up there for another “100 days” in a while, he skied 10 times in memory of friends and skiing the mountain. Billy’s flying high now.

Bill liked fast cars, IndyCars, all of it, but of course, there was no race in the world that compared to the Indy 500. With family and valley ties and the help of our local race hero, Johnny Unser, Bill was allowed access to pit row once or twice. One year he posed in full gear for an Indy car shoot. It was a real highlight for Bill.

He loved road trips. His trips to Wisconsin to the farm to see his sister Sara and her late, beloved husband Tony were another highlight for him for many years. Hearing stories about hauling a 30-foot sailboat with Tony’s Ford Ranger made one shake their head and laugh.

Bill was an accomplished first mate or so he told us. Like his father he loved being out on the open road and water, planning every stop down to the same gas station in Wyoming or the same campground on the way, year after year. It was his road rally, and he seldom strayed from the strict regimen of driving halfway across the country Bill style. The rationed Wisconsin Hook’s aged cheddar was always a treat whenever Bill broke it out. By late winter it was down to a mouse’s portion, until he could get back for more.

He deeply loved his wife Maureen of 28 years and his family, including Tiffany and Shauna, that he loved like his own children. Grandchildren Lillie, Kaeden, Kaitlyn, Andrew and Quinn - he loved you all so much and he was so proud of all of you. We all seem to hold our own special relationship with Bill, whatever that was. 

Bill lived life on his own terms. Keep him in your heart as we let him go to that exclusive gold pass ski club in the sky.

Billy out