William “Bill” Other Gower passed away on Dec. 2, 2015 at his home in Willow Creek after a brief battle with lung cancer. He was 78.

Born to Tom O. Gower and Wilma “Fern” Woodard on Jan. 15, 1937 in Missouri, they moved to Willow Creek when he was a young boy and he attended Trinity Valley Elementary and Hoopa Valley High School. He married Yvonne “Vonnie” Skinner in November of 1958 and they had three children who they raised in their home in Willow Creek — one daughter, Terri, and two sons, Gary and Duane.

Bill (or Billy as he was also known as by many) worked at the local mills and delivered fuel for Standard Oil before eventually getting into log truck driving. At first he drove for companies such as Redwood Coast Trucking, Edeline Trucking and Paul Jackson Trucking before purchasing his own log truck and working for himself as Bill Gower Trucking. The stories he could tell from transporting to many of the harrowing sites of the Northern California mountain terrain would make his wife’s hair stand on end (which he enjoyed very much), but he always returned safely, even if it was at times with bumps and bruises, to his family.

He was a classic car and motorcycle enthusiast who kept his hair slicked back, his comb in his back pocket and rolled his shirt sleeves up as if he had just stepped out of the movie, “Grease” (before the movie even existed).

He enjoyed spending his spare moments with his family and friends, observing the wildlife and the beautiful Trinity River from his back deck and hunting in Indian Valley with his hunting partner and uncle, Jerrol Woodard. He could also often be found “uptown,” having his (almost) daily coffee with the rest of the “town council.”

He is survived and missed dearly by his loving family: his devoted wife of 57 years, Vonnie Gower, daughter, Terri (Arnold) Parks; son, Duane Gower; granddaughters, Amanda Colegrove-Evans and Lindsey Gower; grandson, Joshua (Sarah) Colegrove; great-grandchildren, Uriah, Brianna and Simeon Evans; brothers, Doyle (Judy) Gower and Gary (Kathy) Gower; nephew, Dusty (Dawn) Rossman and niece, Tonia (Zane) Long, who were like his own children to him; Lori Ann Grogan, who he loved like a daughter; step-grandchildren, Joe Parks, Jesse Parks, Kelsie Parks and their families. He is preceded in death by his son, Gary Dean Gower; parents, Tom Gower and Fern (Bill) Chilton and sister, Sandra Vaughn.

The family would like to express heartfelt gratitude to Loretta McCurtain, FNP, for her personal care and compassion during Bill’s final days here on earth; the staff at Resolution Care — Paula Amis and Kat Cummings, in particular — and the local Willow Creek first responder volunteers, including Dusty Rossman and Cory Hicks. You were all readily available right when we needed you to take over and completed the tasks that would have been most difficult for us. Thank you. We are forever grateful.

For those who would like to attend, there will be a Celebration of his Life at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 30, 2016 at the Willow Creek Bible Church in Willow Creek. Bring your favorite dish and join us for a potluck after the service.

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The obituary above was submitted by Bill Gower’s family. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.