William " Bill" Cloe

William " Bill" Cloe

I was born on August 19, 1945 in Danville, Illinois. My parents were hardworking Christian people. My mother died after giving birth to her tenth child. My father, in no way could take care of us kids, so I, and three of my brothers and sisters were out into an orphanage in Norma, Illinois. (It was a very nice home.) When I was eighteen, I went to Urbana, Illinois and lived in a few foster homes.

I graduated from Urbana High School, where I met my future wife, Vera Lucille Orr. I graduated from the University of Illinois with a B.A. in Liberal Arts in 1940. I went to work in Washington, D.C. with the Census Bureau. Lucy followed me to Washington, we were married and spent about 16 months there.

I got a job back in Illinois, as a Biologist with the Department of Conservation, which was the start of a long line of Federal Aid Programs: Fish, Wildlife (Game), Boat Safety, Land and Water Conservation, Forestry, Parks and Recreation, etc. I served the Conservation for 31 years.

I went into WWII in 1944 as a Weatherman, trained at Alameda Naval Air Station. I served at San Diego, Pearl Harbor, and went aboard the U.S.S. Nassau at Pearl Harbor. I was discharged at Great Lakes early in 1946.

After being discharged, I returned to my job in Illinois. In 1973, I retired from Conservation and took a position with USEPA in Chicago. I retired for EPA in 1985.

My wife and I had two boys. My oldest boy (Bill, Jr.) is an Architect in Atlanta, Georgia. John is with the Tualatin Valley Park and Recreation District, which is west of Portland, Oregon. He and his wife, Sara, have 2 girls, my only grandchildren.

My wife died of breathing complications in 1992. I moved to Oregon in 1993 to be close to my granddaughters. I’ve had some heart trouble in 1999-2000.