Bill, 34, died May 31, 1991, while making a test jump with RAM air parachute system at the Missoula base. He was born September 28, 1956, in Moscow, Idaho, and graduated from Estacada High School in Oregon. Bill later attended Oregon State and the University of Idaho.

Bill went to work for the forest service in 1978 and rookied at La Grande in 1979 and jumped at Grangeville 1980-91.