Obituary of William Allan Bush

William Allan “Bill” Bush passed away December 21, 2023, due to complications of Parkinson’s disease. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on August 5, 1933, to parents, Allan and Madeline Bush. He was the oldest of their three children. A longtime Lacey resident and former Mayor of Lacey, Bill had resided in Panorama’s C&R for the last seven and a half years. 

Bill graduated from Punahou School in Honolulu. After high school, he went to college at Oregon State College. While attending college, he met his future wife, Sally, at a Methodist retreat for Western Oregon College students at Camp Magruder on the Oregon Coast. Bill and Sally were married in 1955, while Bill was still in school. He graduated in 1956 and went to work for the Oregon Park Service as a Park Planner.  In 1962, his boss was hired by Washington State Parks to be the head of the Parks and he asked Bill to move with him as Park Planner. He worked at Washington State Parks for 30 years in various capacities, retiring in 1992. Besides working full time for the State of Washington, Bill was active in his early years with the City of Lacey. He served nearly 24 years on the City Council with one term as Lacey Mayor. Bill’s commitment to the community and his passion for parks has been honored by the city naming a park after him. William A Bush Park is located on Yelm Highway in Lacey.

Bill’s love for the water led him to sailing, which he did at every opportunity until he could no longer sail. He and Sally then went on to RVing and spent many happy days traveling and hosting “Kids Camp” with his friends. Bill’s church was always important to him.  At St. Andrew’s, he was the head of the Trustees for many years and his love for that community lead him to use his talent to fix and repair all things. All the projects he worked on were done with love for his church.

Bill is survived by his wife of 68 years, Sally; and their three children, Allan, Barb and Katherine. He is also survived by two younger sisters, Barbara Doenecke and Margaret Riccardi. He is predeceased by his youngest son and Katherine’s twin, James (JD).

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, February 10, 2024, 1:00 p.m. at St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church, 540 School St. SE, Lacey, WA 98503. There will be a reception to follow at St. Andrew’s UMC. All are invited.

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