Walter William Ethier, III, (Bill) of El Segundo, died on February 3, 2023 at home surrounded by his loving family. He was 74 years old. Bill is survived by his beloved wife, Michele “Mickie” (Maciupa) Ethier; They celebrated their 50th anniversary on January 13th.
As a child, Bill’s family moved frequently, so when Bill’s father got a promotion it meant moving. Subsequently, Bill grew up in Chatham, NJ, Atlanta, GA and settled in Pittsburgh, PA in 1965. He graduated from high school at Delbarton School, received a BS in Industrial Management from Villanova University, a Post-Baccalaureate degree from the University of Pittsburgh (where he met his wife in Chem 11) and an MBA in Management (Honors) from the University of Southern California.
In 1973, Bill and Mickie arrived in Southern California after a two-week tour of “parks and relative hopping”; it was sunny in October, warm and beautiful. People ran around in shirtsleeves, Bill said he really wanted to stay and not go back to Pittsburgh, where you have to pull the car out of the snow every day to drive to work. This was the beginning of her life in sunny California.
Bill was hired by Gillette Co, Papermate Division as a Production Planner and left 12 years later as Planning/Production Manager. From there, he entered the software world as Operations Manager for Monogram Software, then moved to Promotions Distributor Services as General Manager. He found Peter Norton Computing, Inc. as Director of Operations, then moved to San Luis Obispo with Xtree Company as VP of Operations and commuted home on weekends, from there he went to Central Point Software in Beaverton, OR as Director of Operations and manufacturing; eventually ended his software career in Marina del Rey at Quarterdeck Corp as Vice President of Worldwide Operations. He was a popular and respected member of any team, known for his leadership and problem-solving skills. Bill worked as a consultant for a few years and then worked as a general contractor. He took his handyman skills with him to support Mickie as she volunteered at the El Segundo Women’s Club, installing shelving, hanging lights, fixing plumbing, creating new storage areas, and building new walls. Bill loved working around the house and “doing things” and was rarely idle.
Bill was the epitome of patience, generosity, kindness and strength. Bill was a hands on dad, welcoming feeding, diapering and bathing his children. He stayed up all night taking care of his girls or grandchildren, whether they had fevers, stomach problems or nightmares, he was right by their side. He played an active part in their sporting experiences and was there to help with homework when needed. Bill prioritized and devoted himself to his family. He coached his girls’ softball teams, was an avid fan at every soccer game, track meet and Cross Country Invitational. He made sure they were prepared for their Girl Scout events. Bill helped with the daunting class projects and made the long hikes a personal research experience, including a family trip to Santa Barbara for a missionary project.
Bill loved fixing things around the house, Jennifer and his daughter’s Danielle kept him busy with their “Daddy Do” list when he came over to visit. Bill often traveled to spend weeks and months with his daughter to help finish projects around the house and to spend time with his grandchildren. No project was too big and even helped their wonderful neighbors. Bill was extremely innovative, a problem solver who used the materials and tools available to fix anything, even going so far as to tamper with equipment in order to benefit from it for a few more years. He always found a solution, he just had to find the right way.
Bill’s strength was tested when he was diagnosed with aggressive metastatic prostate cancer. He’s spent the last three years fighting an uphill battle while maintaining his strong will to keep going. Bill fought to the end and tried by all means to stay here with his family. He eventually succumbed to his call home, he will be missed forever and will be remembered for his love, perseverance and generosity and kindness.
Bill will be remembered as the loving father to his two daughters, Jennifer Abbott (Justin) and Danielle Greenleaf (Patrick), the doting grandfather to his six beautiful grandchildren, Harper, Hudson, Erik, Joshua, Hayden and Audrey, and the cherished son to the late Walter William Ethier , Jr. and the late Winifred (Land) Ethier. He is survived by his dear sister Mary Theresa Ethier (Paul) of FL, devoted younger brothers Michael (Elaine) of NC, James (Mercene) of MA, David of San Francisco, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A funeral service will be held on March 11, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Anthony Catholic Church, 720 E Grand, Ave., El Segundo. In Bill’s honor the Rosary will be prayed at 10:30 am before Mass and all are welcome.
A celebration of life follows at the El Segundo Women’s Club, 541 Standard St., El Segundo. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Prostate Cancer Research-pcf.org, National Forest Foundation-nationalforests.org, or Penny Pines through National Garden Clubs-gardenclub.org.
Published by Legacy Remembers on March 4, 2023.
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