William “Bill” R Guiberson
December 1927 – June 2015
Bill died peacefully in June of 2015, surrounded by loved ones.
Born in December of 1927 in the small town of Terry, Montana, he was the 3rd of 4 children.
Bill grew up in Butte, Montana during the 1930’s where his father owned a successful package delivery business. After the great depression he and his family headed west, eventually settling in the Seattle area in 1941, where he planted roots and enjoyed the rest of his life.
On August 18th, 1945, Bill joined the Navy, serving in both World War II and the Korean War as Seaman First Class, being honored for his service with the Asiatic Pacific Area Campaign Medal and World War II Victory Medal.
An uncompromising and dedicated servant of the people, Bill served as president of the National Association of Letter Carriers for 22 consecutive years, 29 years as a union official, and over 30 years serving as Chairman of the Board for the Seattle Postal Employee’s Credit Union.
He was actively involved in the progression of individual rights and participation in the political process, serving on the Advisory and Policy Committee for the Combined Federal campaign for 6 years and the Washington State Labor Council and Political Action Committee for over 20.
Bill was State Coordinator for Political Action for the NALC for many years, Washington Credit Union League, Governmental Affairs Committee, and numerous fundraiser committees for disaster relief as well as a frequent volunteer for political candidates.
He was highly involved in the community and philanthropic endeavors, serving on the Board of Directors of the Western Washington Chapter of the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation for 5 years and over 20 years as a volunteer.
Bill was dedicated and continually involved in his family’s lives and the community around him. As a baseball coach, Bill guided the ragtag-appearing South Seattle Babe Ruth team to many years of success during the 1960’s, including a state title. He continued to be a sports enthusiast the entirety of his life, serving as the number one fan and often sideline coach for all of his kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids.
Bill is survived by a large family and circle of close friends who loved him dearly. These include his wife Brenda, children Natalie, Bill, John, Tom, Robert, Mary, and Jason, 6 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his first wife Patricia Egan.
He lived well, laughed often, and loved much. He gained the respect, admiration and love of all those around him. He had a captivating smile and a perpetual demonstration of enthusiasm, determination and unwavering optimism. He leaves the world better a better place and will always be a source of inspiration.
He will be missed.
4 Responses to “William “Bill” R Guiberson”
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Bill’s obituary gives a great overview of his life but I wanted to add a few other things about him as I saw him: what a great husband he was to my sister, how good a cribbage player he was and the pleasure it was to talk Mariners baseball with him.
Also, how inspirational his handling of his last day or two of life was.
Katy and I do miss him and think of him often. May peace come quickly to his family and friends.
Bill had a way of elevating everyone around him. He was a man of quiet grace, remarkable intelligence, keen wit, and a kind kind heart. By demonstrating the power of one to make a difference he inspired many to do so as well. A beautiful legacy to leave.
Love!
Bill was the president of Branch 79 of the National Association of Letter Carriers when I joined the Postal Service in Seattle in 1980.
At monthly meetings I was impressed at what a strong leader Bill was. He had that deep resonating voice that spoke athority. His objective each month was to educate the members with current information on both local and national issues.He spoke with sincerity and occasional humor to get his message across.
He gave letter carriers his full attention and championed their problems. I recall when a supervisor threatened to do a “one day mail count” on me before I had been on my route for 30 days. I talked to Bill about it at the union office. Much to my surprise the next morning Bill showed up at my station ready to “educate” the supervisor on the National Agreement.
I never forgot that.
Bill was committed to the Muscular Dystrophy cause and inspired letter carriers to volunteer at the Labor Day Telethon. Thanks to Bill we always had plenty of people to fill the phone banks and work through the night in the mail room processing pledges.
I attended several conventions when Bill was our branch president. I joined in one of the late night poker games and quickly learned how “real poker” is played by the stone-faced experts like Bill. He loved to bluff and win a good hand. Once in a while he would show us his cards just to rub it in during those friendly games. Then he would smile and make some kind of remark as he chuckled. That’s poker.
Bill knew who he was and was comfortable with that. He never boasted about his accomplishments but was admired by many people. He treated everyone with the respect they deserved. He was well liked by his union brothers and sisters and even management knew better than to disrespect him.
Bill was a legend in his time. He served our union with integrity and goodwill. The world is indeed a lesser place without Bill Guiberson. His legacy lives on by his fine example. His life touched many people and many are saddened about his passing.