William Frederick Rakel's Obituary
William Rakel, 88, of West Linn died after a brief illness. Bill was born in Oregon City to William and Anna Rakel. A lifelong Oregon resident, Bill graduated from West Linn High School in 1942 and joined the U.S. Army. After WWII he attended Oregon State College, earned an Electrical Engineering degree, and completed a 30-year career at Bonneville Power Administration. Bill married Vivian Anderson on September 10, 1950 and this year, celebrated 62 years together. He purchased a vacant lot in West Linn and built the family home in 1965. Designed with entertaining in mind, it became the center of family and neighborhood gatherings. Bill was an inveterate do-it-yourselfer, known for his well-equipped shop and ability to fix almost anything. He enjoyed photography, the outdoors and playing card games. In retirement, he and Vivian embraced travel, taking many trips abroad and touring the U.S. and Canada in their RV. Always active, Bill was a familiar sight for many years in the Bolton and Willamette area on his daily walks.Bill is survived by his wife, Vivian, son Jay (Suanne), and daughters Sandra (Randy) Wise, Kristi (Bernie) Lueck, and Vicki (Tony) Marquez, and 5 grandchildren.Service will be held at Holman-Hankins-Bowker and Waud in Oregon City on Friday, Oct. 26th, at noon. Private interment following at Willamette National Cemetery.
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