Nov. 23, 1917 – Feb. 7, 2010

On February 7, Central Oregon lost a long-time resident, William (Bill) Ebert of Prineville. Born in Weed, CA, on November 23, 1917, Bill was 92 years old.

He is survived by his wife of 68 years, Goldie L. Ebert and four of his six sons: William J. Ebert, David Ebert, Daniel Ebert, Douglas Ebert, and their daughter, Teresa Ebert.

A graduate of Sherwood High, Bill and Goldie were the football player and cheer leader story come true. They married April 19, 1941 and moved to San Francisco where Bill worked in the ship yards through WWII, rearing their first two sons amid rationing and the war. When the war ended, they returned to the Portland area and the Willamette Valley where he was a logger and Carpenter/ Pilebuck/Millwright. He found his niche and spent the vast majority of his career as a millwright, distinguishing himself in the power generation and petro- chemicals construction (oil refineries) specializing in close tolerance, precision alignment of industrial machinery.

Bills dedication to raising his large family, took him away from home a great deal while the family was raised in the country on small farms. His first three sons (William, Robert and David) graduated from Redmond Union High School. In 1965, his worked took the family back to the San Francisco Bay area where Dan, Doug, and Teresa graduated from Richmond High School.

Bill and Goldie missed the peace and quiet of country life and returned to their 40 acre farm in Terrebonne in 1983. He hunted and fished, irrigated, fixed fences and assisted neighbors in fixing and modifying their farm equipment. He believed in the good neighbor policy. He shared his interests with his sons and daughter, visited his grandchildren and they celebrated with him. Grandchildren were among his outward focuses. He attended family reunions, spent the 4th of July many years with sparklers lighting the long driveway and front yard. Bill was able to visit and vacation with his family in Russia, the mountains above Napa, San Francisco, Hollywood, Nevada and many other places too numerous to mention … wherever the wind has spread his children and their families – nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren, the youngest just 2 months old.

Bill was blessed with a large family, good friends and kind neighbors. We were blessed with him.

A memorial service will be held Saturday, February 13, 2010, at 1 p.m. at Prineville Funeral Home, Del Towell will be officiating. Prineville Funeral Home is in care of arrangements, 541-447-6459.

Bill Ebert