With family by his side, William J. Blunt was called home on his birthday by his Father in Heaven on Friday, April 14, 2006, after a brief battle with heart problems. Bill was born April 14, 1936 in Oskaloosa, Iowa, the youngest of eight children. His father was a Baptist minister, which meant they moved and lived in various communities around Iowa Bill graduated from a small high school in Chariton, Iowa in 1954. Bill and Ruby met when they enrolled at Seattle Pacific College SPC in Seattle, in the fall of 1954. It was love at first sight for Dad, but Mom required a little convincing. Alas, Mom finally gave in and they were married in June of 1956. They lived in numerous places around the Northwest, before coming back to Seattle, where Dad graduated from Seattle Pacific in 1962. Dad then went to work for the Office of Personnel Management OPM. He worked for OPM for 31 years, moving the family to California, Tennessee and the Tri-Cities. Retirement finally beckoned in 1993. During their marriage, Bill and Ruby were blessed with three wonderful children. Rosanna was born in 1958, Jim was born in 1964 and Mary joined the family in 1966. In June of 1993, Bill and Ruby started work on making a dream of the previous 10 years become a reality by building an underground log cabin on property they own above Chelan, where Dad & Mom lived during the summers. Late that summer, Bill and Ruby fulfilled their dream and began living in the house while it still had limited water and electricity, where Ruby enjoyed cooking for Bill on a wood-burning stove. During the winter months, Bill and Ruby served at various places around the country and abroad, volunteering their time and money to make the world a better place for those less fortunate. Those places included three winters at Murphy?s Camp, CA; three winters at the American Indian Field in Peoria, AZ; and one winter in El Sembrador, Catacamus, Honduras. They enjoyed both the time and the work at every place they served. Together, they went on six ?Work and Witness? trips. They made two trips to Montreal, Quebec; two trips to the Ukraine; one to Sun Valley Indian School in Holbrook, AZ; and one to Lima, Peru. Bill was a member of the Nazarene Church for 35 years, where he was a Board Member and Sunday school teacher. He was a Board Member of the Entiat Valley Family Camp at Entiat, Washington. He was also a member of NARFE National Association of Retired Federal Employees. Bill?s hobbies included reading, farming, gardening, woodworking, spending time with family and friends, travel and intelligent conversation. Bill was survived by his wife of 50 years, Ruby; children, Rosanna Larry Tudor, Hermiston, OR; James Marta Blunt, Kennewick, WA; and Mary Daniel Kurts, Kennewick, WA., nine grandchildren, Aimee, Maggie, Sara, Rebecca, Tyrel, Alex, Johanna, Micah, and Michael; and six great-grandchildren. He is also survived by two sisters, Mildred Lipp, Monmouth, IL; and Ann White, Newton, IA; sisters-in-law, Shirley Blunt, Ft. Meyers, FL; Lucille Blunt, Shell Rock, IA; sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Ruth and Lee Knowles, Wenatchee, WA; numerous nieces and nephews. Bill is preceded in death by his mother, Mabel Megginson Blunt, father, Plennie H. Blunt; four brothers, Loal, Harold, Harry, and Kenneth; and one sister, Lena Mae Blunt. Bill, my loving husband, was thelove of my life and was called Home much too soon for our liking. He will be sorely missed by all his family and friends. Bill was always willing to give of anything he possessed, whether it be time, effort or money. He was willing to stand in the gap when needed, and prayed constantly for the physical and spiritual well-being of his family and all of those around him. He set and example for all of us to follow - how to make the world a better place, just by being part of it. Bill...I love you, we will all miss you, and we all anxiously awate the day we will see you again. With all my love, Ruby. Memorial donations may be made in honor of William J. Blunt to the Pasco Church of the Nazarene or in his memory to the American Heart Association. Hillcrest Memorial Center is providing an online guestbook for you to sign at hillcrestmemorialcenter.com.