William "Bill" English

Click Here To View Bill's Service Live William “Bill” Edwin English, 76, of Idaho Falls, departed this life in a tragic accident on Friday, March 27, 2015. He was a beloved and devoted husband, father, brother, grandpa, and friend. Bill was born on January 9, 1939, in Ukiah, California, to Edwin Shirley “Shirt” English and Dolores Leon Dyer English of Covelo, California. Bill spent his idyllic youth in this Mayberryesque town in an era in which simple pleasures like Friday night football games, sweet summer evenings of fishing, and deer hunting in the crisp mountain air of late autumn served to develop this young man into the skilled and successful athlete and outdoorsman he became. He thrived in this setting and cherished it for the gift it was, surrounded by his family and friends. After his high school graduation in 1957, Bill received a football scholarship to Sacramento State, and left the small town to venture out. As quarterback of the Sacramento State team, Bill holds the record for the longest completed pass in school history. While in Sacramento, he met and married Lorraine Boden in 1959. From this marriage, three sons were born, Daved, Greg, and Shane. The English family then made their way to Ukiah, where Bill’s long and celebrated law enforcement career began with the position as Deputy Sheriff of Mendocino County. As fate would have it, they purchased a home in Ukiah right next door to Bill and Cathy Alexander, who came to play an important role in the lives of Bill and his family. The two Bills were soon the best of friends and hunting buddies, despite the fact that young Daved and Greg were habitual terrors in the neighborhood, painting the Alexander’s dog, their car, and their house pink, and throwing mud balls at their windows, all in one chaotic and destructive day. Ever planning that next great hunting trip, the two Bills got wind of some excellent opportunities in the Salmon River Country of central Idaho. So in 1968, they made the long trip out there to experience it for themselves. Needless to say, both men fell hook, line, and sinker for the grandeur and beauty of that rugged landscape, the mountains and drainages teeming with elk and deer, and the river thick with steelhead. They made the trip every year until Bill could no longer stand to be away from it. So he packed up his little family in 1971 and moved to Idaho Falls, taking a position as Bonneville County Deputy Sheriff. In this time, Bill met and married Leah Olson. Bill and Leah spent many happy years together in their home in Idaho Falls. Bill’s distinguished career came to a close in 1996 when he retired and began to build his dream cabin on the Salmon River, log by log, and stone by stone. Bill’s love was his family, dedicating his life to teaching his children and grandchildren the ways of the mountain. He knew every trail, every drainage, every ridge, and summit like the back of his hand. Even to the end of his life he put forth tremendous effort to impart that knowledge to his family. In his prime, he was an incredibly strong individual, packing out a big horn sheep, whole, on his back, his legs never tiring, and his slow, steady pace maintained throughout one day, or two days, or two weeks of hunting. He was an athlete and a coach, seldom missing one of his grandkid’s games or matches. He was a dedicated connoisseur of blackberry pie, no doubt reminiscing with every bite about the abundant blackberries that grew wild along the country roadsides of his youth. He was a quiet man and a hard man to know, of a somewhat rough demeanor, sweetly softened in his old age by an intense love of family. Bill’s remains, along with the remains of his faithful and beloved dog, Abby, will be interred at a later date on a peaceful hillside cemetery in Covelo, California, shaded forever beneath the ancient oaks, laid to rest by the graves of his parents and his grandparents. His words, his lessons, and his life, will never be forgotten by those he loved, and those who loved him. He will be missed beyond words. Bill is survived by his loving wife, Leah English; son, Daved Edwin English; son, Gregory Raymond (Angie) English; son, Shane William (Stefanie) Thain; sister, Marilyn (Joseph) Caballero; grandchildren, Bridger, Lexie, Savannah, Shawnee, Shayler, Savanna, Sydnie, and Shandon; stepchildren, Dennis (Brenda) Olson, Sandra (Terry) Boyle, Steve (Lois) Olson, and Lillian (Frank) Stumpp. He is preceded in death by his parents. Please join the family in a celebration of Bill’s life at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, April 4, 2015, at Wood Funeral Home East Side, 963 S. Ammon Road. The family will visit with friends one hour prior to services, as well as after the service. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to the Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 8, c/o Detective Madrona, 605 N. Capital, Idaho Falls, ID, 83402.

Memorial Services will be held

2 p.m. ,Saturday, April 4, 2015 Wood Funeral Home East Side 963 South Ammon Road Idaho Falls, ID 83406 Notes: The family will visit with friends from 1:00 p.m. until 1:45 p.m. prior to services.