November 24, 1946 - April 29, 2023
William Orville Woolley was born in Chicago, Illinois on November 24, 1946, adopted before he was born by Orville Woolley and Isabelle Woolley. He grew up and attended elementary school in Skokie , Illinois; later moving to Glenview, Illinois, where he was graduated from high school. His undergraduate work was at Parsons College in Iowa, where he had a triple major in business, accounting, and history. He was also a percussionist in the college band. He was accepted into John Marshall Law School in Chicago, but he deferred enrollment to enlist into the US Army during the Vietnam conflict. He served honorably for six years in the field of Military Intelligence. His posting in Yokohama, Japan led him to meet the love of his life, Dorothy Gayle Hightower, who was his wife for over 51 years. They were married in South Pasadena , California and then moved to Evanston, Illinois. Two years later they relocated to Stockton, California where they both perused graduate degrees at the University of the Pacific. ( This resulted in Bill’s favorite pun, “ We are a pair of docs.” ). Bill and his wife both had long successful careers in public schools and in private universities. Bill was also very active in Rotary and at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church. His interests included photography, computers, and model trains. He relished his role as Uncle and Godfather to numerous nieces and nephews. He also was Daddy Bill to beloved rescue dog, Toto. His last few years of life were highlighted by being discovered by and meeting his Jacobs birth family, thanks to DNA testing. Plagued by declining health, he succumbed to heart failure on April 29, 2023 at age 76 in Stockton, CA.
SERVICES:
The services for William will be held on Friday May 19, 2023 from 11:00am to 12:00pm at St. Anne's Episcopal Church in Stockton, California located at 1020 W Lincoln Rd.
Services at St. Anne's Episcopal Church will be livestreamed on the day of the service, which can be accessed through the following link: http://www.facebook.com/stannesstockton/livevideos
Graveside services to follow at 2:00pm at Cherokee Memorial Park located at Highway 99 and Harney Lane.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to PALS Haven in Lodi, or any one of your favorite charities.
Please leave your condolences below.
Cherokee Memorial is honored to serve the Woolley family.