William Dennis Killion

Long time Fort Jones resident William Dennis “Bill” Killion died of natural causes last January, 2018 at the age of 80 years. A native of California, he was born on November 13, 1937 to Jack and Shirley Killion (nee Wiles) in Burbank, California. His paternal grandparents Charles and Esma Killion played a large part in his upbringing. He graduated from John Burroughs High School in Burbank. He married Carole Houston in 1956. Bill worked for the City of Burbank as an engineer. In 1963 they and their three young daughters moved to the greater Sacramento area. Bill worked for Crystal Creamery as a “milk man”. Their son was born in the mid ‘60s. Bill was accepted into the California Highway Patrol Academy and was assigned to the Los Angeles area upon graduating in 1969. The family returned to the Sacramento area in 1972. The couple separated in 1973 and eventually divorced. He transferred to the CHP office in the Santa Barbara area (Goleta) and lived there for several years. It was during that time that he developed a talent in locating and recovering stolen motor vehicles. In 1978, he received the Thomas Guerry award in recognition of his work ethic. He remarried while living in Santa Barbara, and in 1980 was transferred back to Sacramento. During those years he became part of the CHP Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT). In 1984 they moved to Yreka, and built a home in Ft. Jones. For several years Bill worked out of his home office responding to incident calls in remote locations. He retired from the CHP in 1992, and opened a traffic accident reconstruction and investigation business, WD Killion & Associates, until he retired the business the mid-2000s. He wrote his own computer programs for scene reconstruction and accident simulations. Later, he sharpened his programming and website skills through college extension courses. His second marriage ended after two decades. He remarried a few years later, which lasted about five years. A long distance relationship with a lady-friend in his last several years also afforded him opportunities for more frequent visits with his adult children and their extended families, which was mutually appreciated. Throughout most of his life, Bill had a passion for railroads, including model railroading. He did HO gauge railroad modeling at a professional level. An enthusiastic volunteer at the Yreka Western Railroad, he worked on the live steam locomotive (Blue Goose) for several years, both as a fireman feeding coal to the boiler and later as a licensed locomotive engineer. These were among the happiest days of his life. He was also a moderator on the online Train Board discussion group. Near the end of his life, Bill told close friends and family that he was not afraid of dying and was at peace with whenever the Lord decided it was time to take him. Even so, his friends and family were shocked when he suddenly passed from cardiopulmonary arrest. Bill was predeceased by his parents Jack and Shirley, and by the mother of his children Carole (nee Houston). He is survived by daughters Elizabeth Killion of Santa Fe, NM; Kathleen (Jerry) Mastroianni of Citrus Heights, CA; Nora (Mick) Roberts of Citrus Heights, and son Christopher Killion of Redding, CA; and by his brother Jack (Melinda) Killion of Bend, OR, sisters Bonnie (Brad) Biller-Taylor of Bridgton, ME and Teri Biller-Wadding of Vassalboro, ME; and 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and several dear cousins. A memorial Mass will be held on Saturday, June 9th at 1:00 PM at the Sacred Heart Parish church located at 11630 Main Street in Fort Jones, CA. Interment will immediately follow at the Fort Jones Cemetery.

William Dennis Killion

November 13, 1937 - January 23, 2018