William Charles Earl

William Charles ("Bill") Earl was born on July 27, 1946 in Sacramento, Calif., while his mother, Rita (Stough) Earl, and sister, Kathy, were residing with in-laws because his father, William Simpson Earl, deployed in the Navy, had been sent to Bikini Island to aid in atomic bomb tests off that island.

Bill comes from a pioneering family in Southern Monterey County. His great-grandfather, William Lovet Earl, had come overland from Indiana in a wagon train in 1849 in order to search for gold during the start of the Gold Rush in California.

William and Rita's young family eventually moved to King City, Calif.,, in order to take over the family's farming and ranching business in Jolon, owned by the Earl family for 90 years at the time. They went on to have four more children, Bill being the only boy. Bill grew up in King City and attended King City High School until he was 17. He graduated from Willow Glen High School in San Jose in 1964. He then attended San Francisco State University until he was drafted in 1967. So he enlisted in the Navy and was stationed in Adak, Alaska for two years, as well as Moffit Field and other locations.

Bill was a thrill-seeker and a risk-taker. Motorcycling, skiing, traveling, flying, hang-gliding and driving fast cars were his great interests as a young man. He started several businesses, some which succeeded and some which did not. But he still had time to earn an MBA at San Francisco State University in 1980. Afterwards, he became a financial advisor and invested in real estate renovation. Later on, Bill took up wood-working and made elaborate wooden puzzles, which he gave to all his family at Christmastimes. He never married or had children, but he never missed a family gathering with his parents, sisters and their families.

Unfortunately, in 1999, Bill suffered a major brain stem stroke during heart surgery. The stroke rendered him disabled, unable to walk on his own, write, or read. As a result, he sequestered himself in his home and remained reclusive until his death. Bill died at the age of 74 on April 30, 2021 as a result of heart complications.

He is survived by his sisters, Kathleen Hale, Judy Earl, Jackie Earl, Melanie Kimbel, and Nicolette Earl; as well as eight nieces and nephews, and three great- nieces and nephews.

Memorial service will be held through Zoom on June 27 at 6 p.m. Please use the following link to access the service: https://us04web.zoom.

Published in King City Rustler · June 23, 2021