William Partridge

William "Bill" Partridge, 72 passed away May 3, 2015. He was born October 27, 1942 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Earl and Lucy Gibson Partridge. He served honorably in the United States Navy from November 1959 to August 1965. While in the Seabees he began working at the Toole Army Depot in munitions. Here is where he gained his love for firefighting and eventually become a firefighter at the Depot until 1993 when retired as a crew chief. He did not stay retired for long. Bill always needed to stay busy. He went on to work at the Utah Fire and Rescue Academy in Provo, Utah where he touched many lives with his love of people and his knowledge of firefighting. He enjoyed his work and all of the many people he worked with. In 1965 he married Anna Washburn. They later divorced. In August 1988 he married Dianne Mathews. He is survived by his wife Dianne, his daughters Tamara (Joseph) Bush and Shelly Willoughby, his step children Brian (Emily) Christian, Becky MacDonald and Tamara Christian. He is also survived by his sister Erlene (Ted) Lott and his brother Vernon (Nancy) Bruner and Kyle (Doris) Bruner, non grandchildren and one great grandchild. He was preceded in death by his parents. Bill was a good person who care deeply for people. He never liked to ask for help but was always there to give it. You knew who he was by his warm smile and his handle bar mustache. He was adventurous with a love for spelunking, repelling, fishing, exploring old ghost towns in the west desert and camping. In his final retirement he went on to enjoy a life of fishing. This love took him and Dianne to Strawberry Reservoir where he became a fishing guide. Bill was a jokester. You always had to walk cautiously around every corner. When you were lucky enough to finally get revenge on Bill you had better be able to duck and run because he would swing at whatever scared him. Not only did Bill have love of his fellow man he was a huge lover of animals, big or small, it did not matter. He stopped to pet every animal he met. Often times Bill would see someone in need of help, whether it be a tire change or they were stuck in the mud, he was always there to help. He made many a life-long friend out of these encounters. It did not matter what he was doing, he would stop and offer his assistance. He taught by example. From this example others learned the importance of taking the time to serve. We are thankful for all that we have learned from Bil. He will always be loved and he will be greatly missed. Per his request there will not be any services. In exchange, we ask that you do a kind act of service for someone. Take a child fishing, go camping with a friend as these were Bill's favorite things. By doing these things you will be honoring and celebrating his life.

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