William Jacob "Bill" Neish
Marriages
Anabeth (Betty) Brown - March 16, 1942
Married 74 years
Obituaries
Steamboat Today - October 13, 2016
William J Neish 1917 - 2016
William Jacob Neish (Bill) passed away peacefully at the Yampa Valley Medical Center on October 7th, 2016 at the age of 99 years old. He was born September 17th, 1917, at the Steamboat Hospital, which is now known as The Old Town Pub, in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He grew up in McGregor, CO, and graduated from Steamboat Springs High School in 1935.
Bill lived a full life. After high school, he worked at the Walker Gold Mine in California and then left to pursue a degree in Business at The University of Colorado before enlisting in the military in 1942. During his service as a 1st Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, he spent over 2300 hours flying and instructing pilots on the B-17, B-29, AT-6 and other aircraft. On March 16th, 1942, he married his high school sweetheart, Anabeth (Betty) Brown. His life after the war included raising three children while farming in Pleasant Valley (Lake Catamount). He enjoyed taking his family on many camping trips up to Buffalo Pass, watching his kids ski and ride horses, and inspiring many to the joys of flying. He also served as President of Southern Rocky Mountain Ski Association (SRMSA), the Steamboat Springs Winter Sports Club (SSWSC), and was instrumental in building the first dirt runway at what is now the Steamboat Springs Airport. Later in life, he developed a passion for playing golf and spent many hours playing with family and friends which eventually led to scoring a Hole-In-One at the age of 79. He loved watching his grandchildren’s activities, taking them fishing on evening boat rides around Lake Catamount, and playing his favorite card games around the kitchen table.
Preceded in death by his parents and three siblings, Lillian, Merlin, and Mary, Bill is survived by his wife of 74 years, Anabeth Neish; three children, Ed Neish and wife Ursula; Lenore Grace and husband John; Sanse Berry and husband Scott; four grandchildren, Susan Grace; Annette Honey (Jeff); David Sudduth; and Paul Berry; four great-grandsons, and numerous nieces and nephews. Having lived most of his life in Steamboat Springs, Bill leaves behind many relatives and special friends.
