Obituary of William A. Wolter

William A. ?Bill? Wolter April 13, 1927 ? October 14, 2005 Bill Wolter died of kidney disease in Vancouver, Washington at the age of 78. His six children were with him during his final illness, and he passed away peacefully on Friday, October 14, 2005. A 35 year resident of Vancouver, Bill grew up in the Northwest and called it his home. Bill was born on April 13, 1927, the youngest of five children. He was preceded in death by his parents, three brothers and sister. At age 16, he convinced his mother to give him permission to join the U.S. Navy. He served on the cargo ship USS Leonis during the amphibious actions leading up to the atomic bombing of Japan, and was witness to the devastation in Nagasaki in the weeks following the bombing. He was discharged from the U.S. Navy in February 1947. Throughout his life, Bill worked many jobs, including salesman, Weyerhaeuser mill worker, lumberjack, asphalt, ran a pressure washing business, and others. But he loved the ocean, and primarily worked as a merchant marine and, later, at Tidewater, running tugboats along the Columbia River. In 1956, he met Mae ?Mazie? Webb of Longview, Washington, and they had six children together. Bill and Mazie divorced in 1979, and they remained friends until her death in February 1996. He was married to Shari Unger Richards of Vancouver from 1981 to 1984, and had long-term relationship with Loni Genuardi beginning in the late 1980s. Bill was a gifted storyteller, and a generous, easygoing, well-liked man. He was a regular at local taverns, and in the mid-1990s was an ?honorary member? of the Free Souls Motorcycle Club led by his grandnephew, Mike Boyse. Along the way, he earned the nicknames ?Wild Bill? and ?Uncle Bill? with stories of his adventures and recitation of songs, ditty?s and poems. His most requested recitation was Rudyard Kipling?s Gunga Din. He will be missed by his six children, 11 grandchildren, dearest niece Myrna Boyse and her son John Boyse, family and friends. His children are: Stephen Wolter of Portage, WI; Bill and Loralee Wolter of Oregon City, OR; Emerson and Pamela Allen of Marietta, GA; Randy and Angela Wells of Vancouver; Dennis Wolter of Ridgefield, WA; and David and Chrystal Jones of Cheverly, MD. At Bill?s request, no services will be held. Straub?s Funeral Home in Camas is in charge of the arrangements. His children request your stories or memories of their dad be either submitted online here, or mailed to Angela Wells, 5807 NE 119th Street, Vancouver, WA 98686. Memorials may be made in his name to: Evergreen Habitat for Humanity, 533 E. 33rd St., Vancouver, WA 98663; or American Cancer Society of Vancouver, 2011 Main St., Vancouver WA 98660