Our father, William A. Bone, passed away peacefully June 7, 2020. Dad was born at home in Beardsley, Minn., on Jan. 29, 1921. His parents, Turner and Nettie, along with his sisters and brother, left the farm when Dad was in eighth grade and made their home in Alderwood Manor.
He and Mom were classmates from the time they met in grade school until they graduated from Edmonds High School.
Both of our parents were WWII veterans. By 1943, Dad was overseas in the South Pacific with the Navy Seabees 55th Battalion and Mom was in California as a Navy lab technician. They began to write to one another; Dad was discharged in December 1945, and they were married in January 1946. The three of us were born in short order.
Dad and his business partner, Fred Stadler, opened Richmond Concrete Products in Lynnwood, Wash., in 1946.
Dad purchased a farm on Whidbey Island, Wash., in 1958. We lived there during the summers, and, when he retired, he and Mom moved there permanently. He had many wonderful years on South Whidbey, tending to his Black Angus cattle, growing a huge garden, hunting with friends, meeting at the fire hall, serving his church, and making life-long friends. He and Mom left there to make their home in Stanwood, Wash., in 2003. Mom passed away in 2009, and Dad spent the remainder of his life bravely while grieving the loss of his best friend.
Dad is survived by his three children, Beth, Kathy and Bill; four grandchildren, Maija (Paul), Annie (Dave), Tyler (Aubrey), and Connor; three great-grandchildren, Simon, Ava, and Bryce; and his niece, Sandrea (Art), and their family.
We are forever grateful to Dad for the lessons in living he taught us, the love and care he gave us, and the fun we had as a family. In his nearly one 100 years of living, he touched many lives.
We would like to thank Renee Hemmingsen and the wonderful care-giving women at Hemmingsen Elder Care for the laughter, love, and joy they shared with Dad, making the last three-and-a-half years the best they could be.
We will miss Dad, and we celebrate his wonderful life. Because of the current public health situation, we will have a small family service as soon as it is feasible. Please visit the Gilbertson Funeral Home website at gilbertsonfh.com to sign the guest book
