William David Presley

William David Presley, age 83, of Grants Pass, died April 17, 2025 at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center.

David was born in Mountain Home, AK to Coy & Hazel Presley. His father worked as a crane operator at a hydroelectric company building dams around the United States. The family traveled to various Southern states & PNW throughout his childhood, living in an area while a dam was built, then moving forward to a new site once finished.

He graduated from Wenatchee High school in 1959, then joined the Army serving with

D Company, 79th Engineers Battalion in Germany, discharging in 1964. He then moved to West Seattle, working at General Construction Company in Seattle operating cranes & other heavy equipment. A few of the projects he worked on were the “Ramps to nowhere” on I-5 Seattle, I-5 in Everett & Southcenter Mall. He was a member of IUOE Local 302.

David met Lorriane Chevalier in 1965. They married in 1968 settling in West Seattle, with David working as a crane operator at Todd Shipyard (Vigor). Their daughter, Kari was born in 1969, followed by their son, Michael in 1971.

When his children were young, he took them on camping, biking, fishing & hiking trips all throughout the PNW. He made certain that they had the best, most unique toys, bikes, music & sports equipment, motor scooters & cars. He also instilled in his daughter his love of music- 50’s classic Rock N’ Roll, 60’s Cocktail, Outlaw Country & his favorites- Ella Fitzgerald & Willie Nelson.

David excelled at many artforms & hobbies: Macramé, Kite making, Chinese food cooking, drawing, building & racing RC cars, woodworking & photography. He was enormously proud of his hot tubs & wood stoves. He enjoyed telling jokes and stories. He loved to travel (Lorraine was a flight attendant), often accompanying her on trips. They lived for a year in London using their flat as a base to travel around Europe & Asia. Lorraine’s passes also came in handy when he planned & attended reunions with his Army buddies.

On a Christmas visit to Lorraine’s Canadian family in the mid 1970’s, he became a massive hockey fan & upon returning home, quickly obtained season tickets to the Seattle Breakers (later Thunderbirds) Western Hockey Junior League team along with subscriptions to Hockey Night in Canada & NHL TV.

David retired in 1993. In 1997 he & Lorraine moved to Grants Pass, Oregon where he delighted in living on wooded property near a small town, spending as much time as possible playing golf.

David passed peacefully shortly after experiencing a stroke. His wife, Lorraine, preceded him in 2024. He is survived by his children Kari & Michael, along with his faithful grand dogs GiGi, Trixie & LeeRoy.

At his request, there will not be a service. If inclined, please consider a donation in his name to Habitat for Humanity. David admired Mr. & Mrs. Carter for all the arduous work that they contributed to this organization as well as everything they did for our country & the world.

Habitat for Humanity

www.habitat.org

Please share a memory of William in his Guestbook.