~ IN MEMORY ~
USAF veteran, WA/DL Capt. William ‘Bill’
Grimditch
September 3, 1944 ~ February 8, 2019
Notification with the passing of retired Western/Delta pilot
Captain William Henry Grimditch III, age 74. Captain Grimditch joined Western
Airlines 06-11-1973 and retired with Delta Air Lines, based SLC/030. Captain
Grimditch suffered an at home fall resulting in brain
trauma, and those medical complications led to his passing. He is survived by
his wife Heidi plus many dear family members and friends. To view the obituary online please visit
Also at
CELEBRATION OF LIFE event: Saturday, March 23rd at 2:00
PM
Mountains Edge Gym, 555 30th St., Boulder, CO.
Thank you,
~ Carol for the PCN
Obituary..................
Bill Grimditch was a man who brought his classic smile and
sweet demeanor with him and shared that with everyone he met. Whether it was
greeting people boarding his plane, showing kindness to the cashier at
McDonalds, or his unwavering loyalty to his friends and family, Bill loved
people. He was a connoisseur of fast food fish sandwiches, soft-serve ice cream,
Coca-Cola, flan and conservative talk radio. He had the ability to talk politics
in a light-hearted manner with the staunchest of Boulder liberals and somehow
remain pals. Bill was a rare soul that will be deeply missed, yet his life
history shows that he lived and loved to the fullest. Bill was born in Phoenix
in 1944 to Bill Jr. (deceased) and Gioia (deceased). His childhood was spent in
Phoenix, Hillsboro Beach, and Lake Placid, NY. Growing up, he was a gun toting,
scuba diving, waterskiing wild man that drove way too fast, and managed to get
thrown out of more than one school. Bill had numerous odd jobs like picking
cotton in Phoenix, cutting new ski trails in Upstate, NY, driving a taxi cab in
Miami, and teaching waterskiing in the summers. He would be the first to admit
that he was not a stellar student but managed to earn a degree in Psychology
from the University of Miami - by the skin of his teeth. A career in Psychology
was not in his cards though. With the Vietnam War looming, Bill decided to join
the Air Force and soon after asked his girlfriend, Heidi, to marry him. They
married in Atlanta in '68 and moved to Del Rio, TX where he began pilot
training. Bill was transferred to Rapid City and was shipped overseas to fly
KC-135 refueling tankers during the Vietnam War. During this busy time, Bill and
Heidi managed to own and operate a hotel in Deadwood, a former brothel, and have
their first daughter, Lauren. Bill and his young family (and their cats)
survived the devastating Rapid City flood of '72 thanks to his bravery and quick
reactions (qualities that he was renowned for). Bill described joining the Air
Force as one of the best decisions he ever made as it gave him a clear vision
which led to a rewarding career as an airline pilot. In '73, he accepted a pilot
position at Western Airlines, later Delta, and moved his family to Boulder where
he lived the rest of life. During their time in Boulder, Bill and Heidi added
Brent and Lleane to the family, and five grandchildren. He served on the Boards
of the Lake Eldora Race Team and the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. Bill
loved Halloween and he entertained trick-or-treaters with his elaborate
productions and costumes which became quite a neighborhood spectacle. He loved
his family and tried to attend almost all his children's and grandchildren's
events. As a grandfather, he and relished the opportunity take them to get
soft-serve - even at 9 in the morning! In recent years, he worked at the
Mountain's Edge Gym in Boulder where he greeted people at the front desk with
that classic Bill smile and took seriously his duty to research the daily trivia
stumper and gave his absolute best no matter the task. Bill was a classic
gentleman in that he valued tradition and he demonstrated chivalry daily. He
used words like "gal" and "mixed company" and said things like, "are you decent
in there?" If he was eating at a table with "mixed company," he would stand up
every time a gal would arrive or leave the table. Words to describe Bill are;
loving, loyal, brave, humble, sweet, serving, honorable, humorous and driven.
His family will be hosting a Celebration of Life for Bill at Mountains Edge Gym,
555 30th St. in Boulder on March 23, 2019 at 2:00PM, more info on Caring Bridge.
We will all miss Bill so much but are thankful he is now free to move about the
western sky, without an airplane!
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