John William “Bill” Koons
December 20, 1934 - February 26, 2020
Our beloved father, grandpa and brother passed away on February 26, 2020, at 85 years old following a brief stay at Swedish Hospital in Edmonds, WA. He was the middle son of Frank and Sylvia Koons born on December 20, 1934, in Portland, OR.
Bill grew up in the Greenlake area of Seattle, WA, and attended Lincoln High School. He stayed connected with his classmates throughout his life and helped plan his class reunions as recently as last year. After high school, Bill attended the University of Washington, Central Washington, and BYU and was a member of the Army Reserves. He worked for the railroad and also briefly worked as a steward for World Airways. For his last 25 working years, he was a driver for Metro Transit where he made many good friends.
Bill shared many stories of his growing-up years, some fun, like him buying and driving a car at twelve years old, and some sad, like life after losing his mom to cancer at ten years old. He always surrounded himself with friends, usually a dog, a car (or four), some type of work (like his childhood paper route), and lots of adventures. He loved fishing, water and snow skiing, traveling, camping, dancing, tinkering on cars, partying with his large group of friends, hanging out with his brothers, and eating good food.
He met the love of his life, Anne Heming Jensen, a Ballard gal, through mutual friends one day at Greenlake. When Anne came home from meeting Bill, she told her mother that she had fallen for “Billy with the blue eyes.” They married on November 4, 1961. One cherished memory of their early years was renting out different halls and holding dance parties with many of their friends. Bill and Anne spent 50 years together before Anne passed away in 2011 from complications with dementia. Bill missed her every day after until he joined her in heaven.
A resident of Shoreline, WA, Bill lived in the same house for 54 years. He was the father of four doting daughters. They remember his one-of-a-kind scratchy voice calling out to them - usually with an “idea” for a chore they could do or suggestion for what to do with their lives. :-) He loved them and was fiercely protective of “his girls.” He also enjoyed his sons-in-law and his grandchildren and always had a “money chore” for anyone who was willing. He loved Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter family gatherings with extended family. Bill and Anne also enjoyed visiting the children and spending time with the grandchildren wherever in the world they might be (including Hawaii, Russia, Uganda, and Dubai) and hearing about their adventures.
He will be remembered for his sense of humor, many long-standing friendships, generosity, compassion, listening ear, care, great memory for stories, laughter, pets, fun-loving nature, intelligence, positive attitude after his stroke, love of new technology, making his famous spaghetti sauce, Top Pot glazed twist donuts, travels far and wide, love of learning (history channel, National Geographic, and reading the daily newspaper with his coffee), March Madness trash talking in our family and friend’s tournament (he was the only three-time winner!), his lovely Dahlia garden, his beloved Austin Healey(s), and THE BUS.
In his last month of life after the stroke that left him mostly blind, Bill greatly appreciated the many visits and phone calls from loyal and lifelong friends and relatives. After leaving the hospital, he chose to live in the same retirement community as Anne’s oldest brother, Peter Jensen, and his sister-in-law, Karen. It was a gift of God that they could be together, and the families could spend precious, sweet time with one another. We praise God that before he passed, Dad said, “Jesus, my time is up.”
Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Anne, his parents, Frank L. Koons and Sylvia Ernstrom, stepmother, Dorothy Koons, and brother, Gene Koons.
He is survived by his four daughters and sons-in-law, Stacy Rainey (Chris), Tiffany Anderson (Tal), Melanie Johnson (Jeff) and Natalie Viveiros (Alex), his brother and sister-in-law, Jim Koons (Julie), sister-in-law, Kathleen Koons, and his fourteen grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life has been indefinitely postponed following the Snohomish County Health recommendations in regards to the recent Coronavirus outbreak.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his honor to either:
The Gary J. Johnson Lymphoma Fund (https://giving.massgeneral.org/cancer/donate/ > please include “in memory of…Bill Koons” in 2-Tribute Info) or
The Kabubbu Parent’s School in Uganda, East Africa, by sending a check to North Creek Presbyterian Church (please put “in memory of Bill Koons” in the memo line).
FUNERAL INFORMATION
A Celebration of Life has been indefinitely postponed following the Snohomish County Health recommendations in regards to the recent Coronavirus outbreak.
DONATIONS
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in his honor to either:
The Gary J. Johnson Lymphoma Fund https://giving.massgeneral.org/cancer/donate/
Please include “in memory of…Bill Koons” in 2-Tribute Info)
The Kabubbu Parent’s School in Uganda, East Africa, by sending a check to North Creek Presbyterian Church:
621 164th St SE, Mill Creek, WA 98012
(425) 743-2386
Please put “in memory of Bill Koons” in the memo line.