Bill Etterlein was born on October 14, 1949 in Ogden, UT to William B. and Shirleyann Etterlein. He passed away in Surprise, AZ, surrounded by his family on January 25, 2023.
Bill attended St. Joseph and graduated from Ogden High School in 1968. He also attended and graduated Weber State University with degrees in Zoology and Chemistry. He worked for the IRS for many years before retiring in 2011. After retirement, he and his wife Edwinna decided that they had had enough of the snow shoveling and would rather reside in Arizona where they could shovel sunshine.
He loved life and lived it to the fullest. He enjoyed horses, camping, skiing, snowmobiling, ATV’s and his most recent favorite past time was golfing. He could often be found working in his garage and finding things to fix, even if they weren’t broken. He loved construction and remodeling. He was a Computer Programmer by day and a Contractor by night. He loved working with his tools and getting his hands dirty. It was not uncommon to find him out in the yard at midnight working on landscape lighting or banging around in the garage installing shelving. The shirt he received for his birthday said it best, “If grandpa can’t fix it, we’re all screwed”.
He was a great and friendly man. He never met a stranger, just a new friend. He was well known for his humor and calm disposition. What you saw is what you got. He was the best Husband, Daddy and Grandpa that anyone could have ever asked for. He loved his family more than life itself and loved being around them. He was a very unselfish person. He never thought of himself first and would do anything for anyone-no questions asked. If anyone ever needed a tool, you could count on him to have it. In fact, he probably had five of the same tools so he could lend them to multiple people at the same time.
He was very smart. If something needed to be done, whether it be homework, changing the oil in your car, fixing a flat tire, he had the patience to teach you to accomplish the tasks. There was never a task too big or too small.
He is survived by his wife Edwinna Etterlein. His children, Brian Etterlein, Brittany (Troy) Millard, Brandon (Paige) Etterlein, Khristine (Matt) Warrener and Jeff (Rachel) Lupardus. His grandchildren, Brock, Knox, Ashley, Madison, Alex and Taylor. He is also survived by his two sisters, Tiss (Stan) Martindale and Karen (Brad) Sears.
He is proceeded in death by parents William B. Etterlein and Shirleyann Henry Etterlein.
Per his wishes, there will be a Celebration of Life for everyone to gather and remember the good times. This will be held in Utah at a later date.
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