In memoriam: H. William Wilson, 1933 - 2010

Professor H. William Wilson – beloved husband, father, best friend, scientist, professor, teacher, hockey player, mountain climber and sports fan – completed his life's journey in the early morning hours of Sunday, Jan. 24, 2010, after a brief, valiant fight with pneumonia.

Bill was born on Dec. 11, 1933, in Camrose, Alberta, Canada. His early childhood years were spent in rural Alberta, where he discovered weather, astronomy, earth science, radios and ice hockey. Moving to Edmonton and school, he discovered his superb talent in mathematics and science and a passion for academics.

Bill was an honors student and worked small jobs from an early age to support his family and his education. Playing hockey and visiting the public library were his favorite free-time activities. He graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Alberta in Edmonton. He received his doctorate in chemical physics from the University of Washington in Seattle, again with high academic honors.

During graduate school, Bill married Joyce Dishaw (his best friend and fellow chemist) in Edmonton. He did his post-doctoral work at the Institute for Physical Chemistry at the University of Freiburg in Freiburg, Germany. After returning to North America, he worked as a research chemist for several years. Bill then accepted a position as a chemistry professor at Western Washington University, where he taught chemistry and environmental science for more than 40 years. He loved his students and he loved the university community.

He did extensive research on the snow and ice of Mt. Baker and worked onboard research aircraft with the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Bill's favorite, best research was with NASA Ames Research Center, helping to design the Galileo Probe to Jupiter and, most recently, working on research on the earth's ozone layer and global warming.

Bill was so much more than a phenomenal scientist and professor. He was the most devoted and loving husband and father. He had a heart of gold. He was a kind, compassionate, down-to-earth, affectionate and loving man. He made easy friends wherever he went. He delighted in his daughters' lives and accomplishments. He loved the outdoors. He loved sports and rarely missed "Hockey Night in Canada." He loved to read, and he read everything. He loved classical music, but he said he could only play the radio. He loved puns and good jokes. He loved to laugh and laugh hard. He was a world traveler. He happily coached a Premier league girls' soccer team and worked as an off-ice minor hockey official. He was an ordained elder in the Presbyterian Church.

He loved the family's dog and the cats but claimed he couldn't stand cats. His family loves him to infinity and back and will miss him every day for the rest of their lives and will always hold him close to their hearts. He is survived by his wife, Joyce, of Bellingham; his daughters, Julia Wilson Elzie (Matthew) of Boise and Laurel Wilson (Brittany Clarke) of Portland. He is also survived by his sisters, Marilyn Greene of Edmonton and DruAnn Wynnychuk (Johnny) of Bashaw, Alberta, in addition to sister-in-law Betty Shaw of Nanaimo, B.C., and brother-in-law Myron Babiuk of Edmonton. He is survived by many beloved nieces and nephews and dear friends around the world. He was preceded in death by his sisters, Margaret Babiuk and Carol Schuster; his brother, Martin Caine, and many other precious family members. A celebration of life will be held on the afternoon of March 20 to coincide with commencement day at WWU.