Obituary of William Michael Donnelly

William “Bill” Michael Donnelly, passed away from cancer in the early morning hours of Monday, September 19th at his residence in Lake Oswego. He was 77 years old. Bill was a gregarious storyteller who loved a good joke and never knew a stranger. All who had the pleasure to know him remember his helpful nature and eagerness to lend a hand. He is survived by his wife, Sonja Donnelly, his daughter Linda Donnelly, his daughter LisaKaren Donnelly and her husband Mark Dewey, and his grandchildren, Taylor Dewey and Kallen Dewey Kentner. Bill Donnelly was born in Los Angeles on October 28th, 1933 to parents Beatrice Donnelly and Robert Donnelly. Along with many children growing up in the city during the Great Depression, Bill was an only child. The neighborhood kids, in his words, became his brothers and sisters and he stayed in contact with many of them throughout his entire life. Bill described his teenage years as a time when he was only interested in “girls and cars,” but he also took up speed-skating and spent many hours at dance halls, dancing and listening to the big bands. He often spoke of listening to music like Glenn Miller or Tommy Dorsey at the Hollywood Palladium. Bill joined the army and served in the military from 1956 to 1958, attaining the rank of sergeant. While still serving in the military, Bill met his future wife Sonja, who was a member of the USO. Shortly after meeting, they went on their first date; ice-skating in Seattle. Bill Donnelly and Sonja Karen Ness were married on August 17th, 1958 in her parents’ backyard in her hometown of Poulsbo, Washington. After their wedding, Bill and Sonja spent their honeymoon driving back to Los Angeles. They lived in Southern California for many years. After trying out a few different jobs, Bill found his passion in sales. As he often said, he had “the mouth” to be a salesman. Despite this, he was a jack-of-all-trades, constantly improving their house in Los Alamitos, California and dabbling in woodworking. Bill and Sonja raised their two children, LisaKaren Donnelly and Linda Eileen Donnelly in California. Some of Bill’s fondest times were when he was taking his family (and his boat) to the Colorado River to go waterskiing. He also spent time on Lake Isabella where his parents owned a trailer park. In 1983, Bill bought Fleet-Line Incorporated, a company that manufactured machinery, based in Oregon, and he and Sonja moved. A few years later, they bought a house in Lake Oswego, where they have lived for over 25 years. Bill finally retired in 2001 when he was in his late sixties. With retirement, he discovered he now had a wealth of time to devote to different projects such as restoring an old Radio Flyer wagon, working on landscaping projects, building a handmade tandem wooden kayak, and involving himself in the Lake Oswego community. He volunteered repeatedly at the Lake Oswego Festival of the Arts with his wife, a local artist, and came up with the name of the Holly Orchard neighborhood at an early neighborhood meeting. However, his biggest passion during his retirement years was his involvement with the Evergreen Air and Space Museum in McMinneville, Oregon. During his youth, his father took Bill to see the Howard Hughes H-4 Hercules, the famous wooden “Spruce Goose” aircraft, being moved in Long Beach, California. When he heard that Evergreen Aviation Museum had acquired the aircraft, he became involved as a lifetime charter member and later as a volunteer. Bill was a docent at the Museum for the past six years, using his love of conversation as a way to connect with visitors and share his love of aeronautical history. Despite his involvement in the museum and other activities, Bill and Sonja still found time to travel, most frequently to Hawaii. In 2008, he and Sonja celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on his favorite island of Kaua’i with their family, where they enjoyed snorkeling, kayaking and relaxing. Shortly before he passed away, he attended his granddaughter’s wedding and as a wedding gift, sent her and her husband to Hawaii. Bill’s stories and jokes, as well as his neighborly, helping attitude, will be sorely missed. His ashes will be scattered to the wind. Please raise a glass in a toast to honor his memory. Arrangements by Crown Memorial Center – Tualatin.