William P. Schell

February 20, 1935 – October 1, 2017

William P. Schell, 82, went to be with the Lord on Oct. 1, 2017. William was born on Feb. 20, 1935 to William and Katherine Schell in Boulder, Colo.

William married Elsie Johnson on Jan. 5, 1957 in Ratone, N.M. Together they raised five children while farming in Longmont, Colo., until 1964 when they moved their family to Moses Lake, Wash. to continue farming. William then went on to work for Grant County Tractor and later drove a semi for Nestle-Carnation for 35 years until he retired. After retiring William and his wife Elsie both drove for People to People until 2008.

William enjoyed hunting and fishing, taking many trips to the ocean to go salmon fishing, taking their grandchildren along. William was a member of the Moses Lake Gun Club and loved to trap shoot. William also spent many years building and flying radio-controlled airplanes. William was a big Mariners and Seahawks fan and always knew when they were playing so he never missed a game on TV. William enjoyed traveling and took many trips with his wife, whether it was to a casino in Winnemucca or traveling to Florida to go to Walt Disney World, along with a cruise to the Bahamas. William loved spending time with his family, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and loved them all dearly, telling them stories and giving them his wisdom and teaching them about life.

William is survived by his children Gene Johnson (Kathy) of Davenport, Wash., Ronald Johnson (Laura) of Overland Park, Kan., Karen Short (Earl) of Moses Lake, Wash., Deanna Prentice of Moses Lake, Wash. and Gayle Hopkins (Mark) of Moses Lake, Wash. and by one sister Linda Edwards (Clyde) of Provo, Utah. William had 15 grandchildren, 29 great-grandchildren and eight great-great-grandchildren. Along with his parents, William was preceded in death by his wife Elsie of 59 years and a son-in-law, Russell Prentice.

Memorial services will be at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church at 200 N. Dale Road in Moses Lake, Wash. on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at 2 p.m. There will be a gathering afterwards. Please sign the online guestbook or leave a note for the family at www.kayserschapel.com. Arrangements are in care of Kayser’s Chapel & Crematory.