William John Waldrop

William John Waldrop

William (Bill) was born in Spokane, Washington on August 9, 1950 to John and Laverne Waldrop. His family relocated to Seattle a few years later and he and his sisters were raised in the Wallingford District. He graduated from Lincoln High School in 1968 and went on to continue his education at Shoreline Community College, but decided to join the Navy in July of 1969. Bill completed basic training and prior to starting Data Systems school at Mare Island in California, he asked his high school sweetheart Patricia Mecord to be his bride. They were married December 30, 1969 in Seattle, and their trip to California was considered their honeymoon. Bill completed his training, graduated as a third class Data Systems Technician in 1971 and was assigned to the USS England, DLG-22. Bill advanced quickly to first class and became the leading petty officer in his division in 1973. He served three tours of duty during the Vietnam conflict and was honorably discharged in late June 1975. Bill was very proud of his military service, but also recognized the sacrifices that his family endured during his absence and will be forever grateful for those who helped Pat and the kids during those difficult times.

Bill continued his education after leaving the Navy and graduated from North Seattle Community College in 1977 with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Structural Drafting. He was hired by URS Company in Seattle, where he also learned civil, mechanical and electrical design and drafting. In 1983, Bill accepted a job at Coffman Engineers as an electrical designer, where he learned several different computer aided drafting programs and further developed his electrical design skills. In 1995, Bill joined McGowan Broz Engineers shortly after the company started business, left in 2000 but rejoined the company after working a little over a year for SASCO, an electrical contracting company in Woodinville. In 2008, Bill joined Lane Coburn & Associates where he was encouraged to study and become a Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD), which resulted in many successful projects with the military that required the RCDD certification. Bill retired in August 2016 at the age of 66.

Bill enjoyed activities at various times during his life including camping, hiking, biking, snowshoeing, skiing, golf, softball, tennis, flag football and bowling. Bill also enjoyed photography, painting and woodworking as a hobby, and like most men, he enjoyed projects around the house and just fixing things.

Bill is survived by his sisters, Susan and Karen, his wife Pat, his children Jeff and Laura, and his four grandchildren, Sydney, Austin, Ryan and Riley.