Bill was born April 11, 1940, to Clarence and Lois (Bartsch) Bennett, in Portland, Oregon.
He weighed 4 pounds and was put in the NICU for a month. The hospital charged his family $1 a day, and Bill’s father had to borrow money to bring him home.
Bill and his family lived in the City of Sandy for 16 years, then moved to rural Sandy, where Bill started milking goats and cows. His milk was shipped to The Mayflower company. He would also take canned milk to the Farmers Co-Op or FCC in McMinnville. His father-in-law built a milk house and had a pipeline put in so they could send milk to Oregon Jersey, then to Darigold.
Bill attended Sandy Grade and Sandy Union High School, where he graduated. In high school, he was involved in the FFA.
Bill started working for Koch’s Sawmill, and when they closed, he worked in Estacada and continued milking cows. He also drove truck for Shook and delivered shavings.
In 1973, Bill married Judith Hansen and they moved into the house his grandparents Bartsch had built.
In 1976, Judith gave birth to a daughter, Ilene. Two years later Bill started driving school bus for Sandy School District. He did this for 20 years, and still subbed after “retiring”. He also started growing and selling hay to locals, until he decided to just grow it for himself.
In 2004, Bill and Judy sold most of their herd of milk cows. They kept a few and Ilene learned to milk. Bill helped take care of the animal’s morning and night.
Bill and Judy joined the Sandy Senior Center in 2007 and enjoyed many short scenic trips with them. They also enjoyed taking Ilene to the beach for the day. They stayed in Seaside a few times, and one year they drove the entire coast of Oregon and California. They also took Ilene to Safari and Crater Lake and Disneyland. Bill always enjoyed talking to people, it was like a hobby!
Bill is survived by his wife Judy, daughter Ilene, grandson Jacob and brother Glen. He was preceded in death by his parents.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Salvation Army or Sandy Senior Center.