Obituary

William Edward Hale

William “Bill” Edward Hale, born July 2, 1945, died peacefully in his home aside his daughters, Erynn and Katy on November 27, 2024.

Bill was a man of extraordinary warmth, wit, and strength. He touched the lives of everyone he met. Known for his sense of humor, compassion, and unwavering strength. Bill lived a colorful life that exemplified bravery, generosity and courage. Each day he reminded us to “Make it a good day” and to “Keep it in perspective”. His words were so powerful, and most people relied on him for his deep insights and most of all, his famous Facebook posts.

Bill was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri and wouldn’t ever let you forget it. He truly beamed with pride for his hometown. “Willie” was the youngest of the three Hale siblings, following his brother Richard and sister Margaret.  Bill attended Redemptorist Catholic School before attending the University of Missouri at Kansas City for his undergraduate work in Business Administration and Sociology and his graduate studies in Behavioral Sciences at the University of Iowa. Little “Willie Hale” as the neighborhood boys called him, stirred up trouble everywhere from his altar serving days to Kelly’s Pub in Westport.

Bill moved to Laguna Beach in the early 1970’s and began establishing the next chapter in his life in California. He enjoyed the change in scenery from the start, always finding solace in walks along the beach. Bill contributed support and leadership to friends and strangers alike to his AA support group in Laguna Beach that continued throughout the rest of his life. While living in Laguna, Bill became a step-father to Kristin who continued to be like a daughter and definitely a dearest friend for almost 50 years. Randy, Kristin’s husband and their two daughters, Ashley and Hannah were always included in the Hale family experiences and all were enriched by the memories and time together.

Until his passing, Bill was the Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Redwood Family Care Network. Prior to his brief stint in retirement, he was a Senior Level Healthcare Executive for over 30 years. It was during his time spent as President and CEO of Beech Street, where he met so many lifelong friends who he still spoke so fondly of all these years later. Throughout his career, Bill has routinely served on and chaired diverse Healthcare Boards of Directors. He was deeply passionate about helping to find ways to improve the lives of diverse populations of people in need of services, support or help.

Bill married his “cookie”, Lori in June 1990 and they had two beautiful daughters, Erynn and Katy. As a family, they made countless memories in some of Bill’s favorite places on earth- Maui & The Surf & Sand in Lagna Beach. In 2007, Bill faced the heartbreaking loss of his beloved wife, Lori who passed away after a courageous battle with breast cancer. Bill was Lori’s biggest cheerleader and advocate during her 9-year battle. His 16-year marriage to Lori was filled with fun and the joy of raising two strong- willed children and overcoming hundreds of different challenges while sharing the intimacy and friendship you hope to experience once in a lifetime. Despite this immense loss, Bill devoted himself to raising his two daughters, Erynn and Katy, guiding them with love, teaching them resilience and shaping them into the incredible women they are today. Bill taught his daughters to live by the golden rule and always treat others the way you want to be treated. Something he did each day here on earth.

Recently, Bill was promoted from Dad to Grandpa, and nothing made him prouder than holding his granddaughter Hutton Ann. Although he was only in his grandpa role for a short time, he spoiled Hutton with Powerball winnings & Entenmanns donuts every chance he got. Bill was also “Papa Bill “to Ashley and Hannah and thanks to them his roots are back in KC. Bill filled his life not only with family but all his “adopted” family as well. When speaking about his best friends’ “Bones” and Joe Fitz, Bill always said their five-decade long friendship was nothing like anything he had ever seen or read about and he would take a bullet for them, as long as it was a small bullet.

Bill was deeply devoted to his Catholic faith, values and everything that came with it; he attended mass every Sunday and started each morning going through his prayer list and prayer books. While Bill was a true man of faith, he was also a big fan of the slots, video poker and the horse track. Golf was one of his true loves and the friendships he built while playing the game were some of his fondest. One of Bill’s greatest passions in life was helping those dealing with addiction. Bill was a supportive friend that many turned to in their darkest hour. Many people would say they owe their life to Bill, but to him “it’s just what you do”. Helping people was second nature to Bill.

Bill battled IPF for 15 years, often living though immense pain and discomfort but always showing up for us anyways. By pushing through the pain, he allowed us to spend more time with him than most of us thought would be possible. In September 2024, Bill was diagnosed with lung cancer. Though the disease progressed quickly, Bill’s strength remained unshaken. He continued to maintain a positive outlook, refusing to let those around him see the extent of his struggle. His bravery in the face of adversity was a testament to the kind of man he was. To nobody’s surprise, he was still requesting quad shot venti Starbucks lattes, chocolate donuts and someone o run out and grab him some lotto tickets until the day he died.

Bill’s legacy lives on in the countless lives he touched. Whether through his infectious laugh, his warm heart, or the life lessons he imparted on us all, Bill made a lasting impact on everyone fortunate enough to know him and his ability to bring joy and light into  any room was his biggest gift of all.

When we think of Bill, we will always hear:

“Make it a Good Day”, “All we have is today”, “Keep it in perspective”, “You’ll be a big help to me when you grow up”, “I hope you brought me a large and expensive gift” and so many other Bill-ism’s.

In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations in Bill’s memory to St. Killian Catholic Church.

Livestream to funeral services:
https://youtube.com/live/lQpQ4DeUYeQ?feature=share