William Abiathar Ranck, Jr.
Oct. 9, 1926 – Mar. 20, 2022
Sunnyvale
William Abiathar Ranck, Jr., resident of Sunnyvale, CA, Medford, OR, and Nampa, ID, passed away peacefully at home with family on March 20, 2022. He was 95 years old.
The son of William Abiathar Ranck and Ruby Agnes Lundy, William “Bill” was born in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1926. He enjoyed many family trips to relatives in Mississippi and Pennsylvania from his home in Baltimore.
He entered the Navy during World War II serving as a telegrapher stationed in Washington, DC. After his discharge, Bill attended what he fondly called “a little medical school on the East Coast”. He proudly graduated in 1949 with a Mechanical Engineering Degree from the prestigious Johns Hopkins University located in his hometown of Baltimore, MD.
Upon graduation, he joined Boeing working the drafting desks in Seattle, WA, for a few years. It was in Seattle where he met his first wife, Catherine Shiell. They were married in 1952 until Cathy’s passing in 1994. They raised three sons and lived in Sunnyvale, CA. Bill coached baseball, ran daily with his track friends, attended musical arts performances, and engaged with their close-knit neighborhood community.
Following a short stint with Westinghouse in Baltimore, Bill joined Lockheed Missiles & Space Company in Sunnyvale, CA in 1957. Bill was proud to work for “the greatest company in the world” and honored to work with so many exceptionally talented and brilliant people on technically challenging projects. He looked forward to driving to work every day in his father’s 1953 Buick Super automobile. Bill retired from LMSC executive management in 1986.
Bill met his second wife, Dolores Gott, in Medford, OR, and they were married in June 2002. They lived in Medford where they built two homes before settling in Nampa, ID, in 2017. Bill and Dolores enjoyed cruising the world, following sports, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
Music was important to Bill throughout his entire life – from taking piano lessons at age 4 to vocal training in his thirties to playing his grand piano into his nineties when he was legally blind. He was also an avid student of investing in the stock market for over 60 years. And Bill’s family was always enamored with cars – from his and his father’s faithfulness to Buicks to finally Bill’s classic pride of Jaguars.
One of Bill’s mottos was “Clockwise Around the Track” in reference to his running in the opposite direction to greet other runners twice a lap and his contrarian outlook on life and investing.
Bill was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather. He was blessed with experiencing two loving family journeys.
Per Bill’s request no services are planned. If desired, a donation in Bill’s memory to your favorite musical charity would be greatly appreciated.
Oct. 9, 1926 – Mar. 20, 2022
Sunnyvale
William Abiathar Ranck, Jr., resident of Sunnyvale, CA, Medford, OR, and Nampa, ID, passed away peacefully at home with family on March 20, 2022. He was 95 years old.
The son of William Abiathar Ranck and Ruby Agnes Lundy, William “Bill” was born in Charleston, West Virginia, in 1926. He enjoyed many family trips to relatives in Mississippi and Pennsylvania from his home in Baltimore.
He entered the Navy during World War II serving as a telegrapher stationed in Washington, DC. After his discharge, Bill attended what he fondly called “a little medical school on the East Coast”. He proudly graduated in 1949 with a Mechanical Engineering Degree from the prestigious Johns Hopkins University located in his hometown of Baltimore, MD.
Upon graduation, he joined Boeing working the drafting desks in Seattle, WA, for a few years. It was in Seattle where he met his first wife, Catherine Shiell. They were married in 1952 until Cathy’s passing in 1994. They raised three sons and lived in Sunnyvale, CA. Bill coached baseball, ran daily with his track friends, attended musical arts performances, and engaged with their close-knit neighborhood community.
Following a short stint with Westinghouse in Baltimore, Bill joined Lockheed Missiles & Space Company in Sunnyvale, CA in 1957. Bill was proud to work for “the greatest company in the world” and honored to work with so many exceptionally talented and brilliant people on technically challenging projects. He looked forward to driving to work every day in his father’s 1953 Buick Super automobile. Bill retired from LMSC executive management in 1986.
Bill met his second wife, Dolores Gott, in Medford, OR, and they were married in June 2002. They lived in Medford where they built two homes before settling in Nampa, ID, in 2017. Bill and Dolores enjoyed cruising the world, following sports, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.
Music was important to Bill throughout his entire life – from taking piano lessons at age 4 to vocal training in his thirties to playing his grand piano into his nineties when he was legally blind. He was also an avid student of investing in the stock market for over 60 years. And Bill’s family was always enamored with cars – from his and his father’s faithfulness to Buicks to finally Bill’s classic pride of Jaguars.
One of Bill’s mottos was “Clockwise Around the Track” in reference to his running in the opposite direction to greet other runners twice a lap and his contrarian outlook on life and investing.
Bill was a beloved husband, father, and grandfather. He was blessed with experiencing two loving family journeys.
Per Bill’s request no services are planned. If desired, a donation in Bill’s memory to your favorite musical charity would be greatly appreciated.
View the online memorial for William Abiathar Ranck, Jr.
Published by San Jose Mercury News/San Mateo County Times on Apr. 10, 2022.
