Service
Willamette National Cemetery - 10:30am
11800 SE Mt Scott Blvd
Portland, OR 97086
Please arrive by 10:15 and check-in at the main building for site of service.
Service will be from 10:30 -11am including full military honor guard and sharing memories with family and friends.
William “Bill” Palo passed away on February 26th, 2017 as a result of congestive heart failure. Born on June 10, 1944 in Great Falls, Montana, he grew up in cattle country, graduating from Simms High School and enlisting in the Navy in 1962. He served with honor during the Vietnam War through 1966, including tours of duty on the U.S.S. Alamo and the U.S.S. Montrose. When he returned, he worked to tame his demons and create a life of happiness. Along the way, he reached out to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people, helping them get their lives back on track. For years, he worked in jails and rehabilitation centers, offering a hand up to so many who felt they had been abandoned by life.
A man of many passions, Bill was a highly regarded soccer coach and referee during the 1970s. He was actively involved in numerous causes related to the better treatment of war veterans. Perhaps most significantly, he maintained a 48 year association with the many friends of Bill Wilson. In his later years, he discovered the joy of being a Grandfather. It is difficult to imagine a person who ever enjoyed that role more than he did, or a Granddaughter who love her Grandfather more. He blossomed late in life and the warmth of his ready smile and quick joke animated many a family gathering. As one friend wrote, upon hearing of Bill’s death, “Life handed you such a mix/Joy, talents, courage/Also the effects of war, knee deep and clouds of childhood pain/You never stopped your journey to rise above it all/And you did/With the generous spirit that is you.”
Bill is survived by his brother, Terry, sisters, Barbara and Mary Anne, two children, April and Nick, granddaughter Kyra, as well as numerous nieces and nephews and their offspring. A service to commemorate his life will be held at Willamette National Cemetery on March 22nd, at 10:30 am. More information will be provided in the coming days.
For those who are interested, a significant number of photos of Bill have been posted on his facebook page, listed under William Palo
Tributes
Leave a tributeThanks Bill for allowing me to give you my friendship from the beginning and when you had gone and went home to final rest and I was there visiting u and you were all of a sudden resting but not knowing that was the day you finally rested forever and I had to be the one in your place there as a soldier carrying you in not leaving u alone when I found u eyes closed and trying to wake u but you were gone forever I then did what I did as you have done for others as good hearted beyond the call do everyday as a person I never left u alone and did make sure your family and everyone knew that u were not ALONE and you were in good hands when I made the call to get him to the hospital and took all the pain of losing a friend and beyond that loved him as a fellow man to say I will always honor as he said the heart that is good that was bill he was a he was human he was a true and to the point one I shared jokes and I respected him and he appreciated that I was allowing him to at times help me when I got down on my self and was gonna give life up bill talked to me and he encouraged me to know that he knew my heart and to keep going on that meant a lot I was honored to have a friendship that we had and I miss him however as he said in his honor I have to go on and as he did keep on giving and be as I am TRUE GIVING AND LIVING
Leave a Tribute
Thanks Bill for allowing me to give you my friendship from the beginning and when you had gone and went home to final rest and I was there visiting u and you were all of a sudden resting but not knowing that was the day you finally rested forever and I had to be the one in your place there as a soldier carrying you in not leaving u alone when I found u eyes closed and trying to wake u but you were gone forever I then did what I did as you have done for others as good hearted beyond the call do everyday as a person I never left u alone and did make sure your family and everyone knew that u were not ALONE and you were in good hands when I made the call to get him to the hospital and took all the pain of losing a friend and beyond that loved him as a fellow man to say I will always honor as he said the heart that is good that was bill he was a he was human he was a true and to the point one I shared jokes and I respected him and he appreciated that I was allowing him to at times help me when I got down on my self and was gonna give life up bill talked to me and he encouraged me to know that he knew my heart and to keep going on that meant a lot I was honored to have a friendship that we had and I miss him however as he said in his honor I have to go on and as he did keep on giving and be as I am TRUE GIVING AND LIVING