Obituary of Wilfred P. Schmoe

SCHMOE, W.P. "Bill" Wilfred P. Schmoe passed away in Green Valley, Arizona, on December 20, 2018, at the age of 91. Bill will be lovingly remembered by Lillian, his wife of 71 years; by his children, Lee (Cherie) Schmoe and Lynne (Dave) Higerd; by his sister, Ruthanna (Donn) Higley; by his grandchildren, Kristyn (Nathan) Giles, Sara (Jesse) Wedel, Karen Field, Laura Schmoe, Susan Field (Matt Pudnos), Diana Schmoe, and Jon Higerd; by his great-grandchildren, Isaiah and Kaila and by devoted friend and assistant, Joan Lewis, considered one of the family. He is predeceased by his daughter, Lori Field;, by his parents, Floyd and Ruth Schmoe and by his siblings, Ken Schmoe and Esther Hirabayashi. A native of Seattle, Bill graduated from Lincoln High School. He earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Oklahoma A&M (now OSU), whose College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology inducted him into their Hall of Fame in 1989. Bill met Lil while serving in the Civilian Public Service in Southern California at the end of WWII. They were married in Pasadena at the Villa Street Friends Meeting in 1947. He then began a 35 year career with Conoco. It started in oil production in small, close-knit towns in Wyoming and Colorado. New job assignments took them to Houston, Connecticut, London, Delaware, and Pennsylvania - at each place making new, life-long friends. His work also took him around the world creating in him a love of travel and adventure. With the merger of Conoco and DuPont in 1982, Bill became Vice Chairman and COO of Conoco. He retired a few years later as Executive Vice President of DuPont and a member of their Board of Directors. Bill then began his second career - over 30 years of retirement. He excelled at it. He and Lil continued their global travels, nearly always with friends and family. They built a beautiful home in Jackson Hole with a view of the Tetons rising above the 4th fairway. Their kids and grandkids have many fond memories of Christmases and family summer adventures there. Bill and Lil eventually settled down in Louisville, CO, in the summers and Green Valley, AZ, in the winters. There, they stayed close to family and made new best friends who have been good company and supported their living independently. Bill loved to fly. He owned a series of planes, but was particularly fond of his two Beech Bonanzas and the Baron. He and Lil joined a Wilmington, DE, "Hanger Group" of friends with whom they flew to many air shows and later went on vacations around the world. He was especially honored to be a member of the Jackson QBs (Quiet Birdmen) pilot organization. Bill also loved to hunt - from elk in Wyoming, to grizzly bear and Dall sheep in Alaska, to shooting pheasant with English royalty, to the Big Five in Africa. He enjoyed telling embellished stories of previous hunts while sitting around the campfire with one hand enhancing the story and the other holding a martini. But Bill most of all loved to be with people. At any gathering he would soon be entertaining the group with his humor, quick wit, and stories of his many adventures. But if you listened closely, the stories were not so much about what he did, but rather who he did them with - about his friends and family. A Celebration of Life Service, led by Rev. Randy Mayer, was held on December 26, 2018 for local friends and family at the Good Shepard United Church of Christ in Sahuarita, AZ. His family plans a larger celebration of his life in early summer near Denver. The details will be communicated once they are finalized. Arrangements by ADAIR FUNERAL HOMES, Dodge Chapel.