Bill Ginthner

Bill would quote his mother often with her statement of “actions speak louder than words.” He took those words to heart and his actions spoke volumes. He would share the many stories of growing up in an Irish Catholic family on the East Coast. Much to his father's dismay, there was not a mechanical bone in his body, but put a ball in his hands and he was in heaven. Too short to play basketball Bill turned his attention to wrestling, skills from which he would later put to use on the pickup basketball court.

Bill was the oldest of four children and he took that role seriously. He loved each of his siblings dearly and had a unique relationship with each of them. He loved to needle his brother Bob to get a rise out of him. His sister Nancy was his confidant, inspiration and someone he truly admired and looked up to. He liked sharing his love of music with his youngest brother TJ, especially when “fun” TJ showed up.

When Bill was as freshman at Wheeling University in West Virgina his parents moved to Hays, Kansas. To be closer to family, Bill transferred to Regis College in Denver, Colorado. This turned out to be a major life-changing adventure. He found his love for the mountains and skiing. He also met the true love-of-his life, Diane Flowers who would soon become his wife. Bill graduated from Regis with a degree in Sociology. When he asked one of his favorite professors what he could do with a sociology degree, and he was told to sell insurance. So, what did Bill decide to do…head to Aspen to be a ski bum!!! That lasted just a few months as five hours was too long a drive to be away from Diane.

Diane and Bill were married in Denver in 1972 and moved to Seattle the following year. Bill went to work for Boeing as an industrial engineer. He worked for 30 years for Boeing making many good friends along the way. The biggest joy in Bill's life was the birth of his two children: Kris in 1974 and Kelly in 1977. He would often say that he loved coming home from work, as it was like Christmas waiting for him every day! He found joy in sharing his love of the mountains and skiing with Kris and Kelly, playing pickup ball with the kids and their friends and just hanging out with them. He also would share with them his mother's philosophy about “actions speaking louder than words.”

After retiring from Boeing, Bill found his passion for teaching. He was a tennis coach at both Bear Creek and Redmond High Schools. He also taught for Redmond Parks and of

course there were the ‘Kingsgate Ladies’! He found joy in sharing his love of the sport with his students of all ages and skill levels.

As Kris and Kelly grew into adults Bill continued to love spending time with them, sharing his love of sports, music, reading and discussing the issues of the day. And of course, there was always his laugh, which was more like a cackle. He was proud and envious of Kris with his easy-going approach to life. He marveled at how Kris adapted to his new normal after his accident in 2015 leaving him a quadriplegic. Bill learned empathy and patience from Kris and the two became quite close the last few years as Bill dealt with his own declining health. Bill and Kelly always shared a bond of mutual respect. They were two peas in a pod. They each would overthink spending $$$ yet could laugh at themselves at the same time. Kelly had a way of saying “Daaaaaaaaaad” that would make him smile. When Kelly joined the Peace Corps and fell in love with Mono, Bill worried that life was over. Yet he came to respect and love Mono and welcomed him into the family, often saying what a great husband and father he was.

The light of Bill’s life was his two granddaughters, Maya and Tana. He often wondered why he was so lucky to have two such beautiful granddaughters. He loved Maya with her quiet demeanor and loving heart. He marveled at her innate ability to read people and pick up on their feelings, as well as how she gives the best hugs. Tana could make grandpa laugh with her devilish smile and twinkle in her eye which reminded Bill of himself as a child. He would often laugh as he remembered the time when Tana was about two years old and she threw her shoe out the window while driving across the I-90 bridge.  She gave grandpa the look of ‘what are you going to do about it?’.

Bill had a good life. He was a wonderful husband, father, brother and grandfather. A loyal friend who will be missed by so many.