William Pickerill

William Wayne Pickerill passed away in his sleep on May 1, 2016 at LaVilla Grande in Grand Junction, Colorado.

William (Bill) Pickerill was born on October 25, 1920 on a farm in Burlington, Colorado to William & Alveta Pickerill.  He was the first of six children.  He grew up on the farm in Burlington.  Bill met and married Rosalie Pugh of Stratton, Colorado on October 25, 1941.  He was drafted into the US Army during World War II.  During that time, he was stationed in San Pedro, California.

After his discharge from the army, Bill and Rosalie moved back to Burlington.  Their son Wayne was born there.  Bill started to work as a mechanic and kept that profession for his entire career.

The family moved to Steamboat Springs in 1947 and their son Gerald was born in Steamboat. Bill worked at Luekens’ garage and the Chevrolet garage.  He also worked at the Steamboat School district as a bus mechanic for many years. In the early 1980’s, Bill was hired at the Steamboat Ski area where he worked on maintenance vehicles for the mountain and retired from there.

Bill enjoyed fishing, hunting, camping, and trap shooting. Tired of the long winters in Routt County, Bill and Rosalie moved to Clifton, Colorado in 1988.

Bill is survived by his wife of 74 ½ years, Rosalie Pickerill of Grand Junction, sons, Wayne (Catherin) of Boise, Idaho and Gerald of Clifton, Colorado, four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.   Bill is also survived by two brothers, Bob Pickerill & his wife of Centennial, Colorado and Larry Pickerill & his wife of Ordway, Colorado and many, many friends.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 30, 2016, between 2 and 4 pm.  The location will be the  Grand Junction Trap Club,
116 32 Road, Grand Junction, Colorado.