William (Bill) H. Bachal Jr., born March 31, 1930, died Aug. 24, 2024 in Lynden, surrounded by his family after a long illness.
He was born in Chicago to parents Luella and William Bachal Sr., the oldest of three children. He met the love of his life, Suzanne Thomas, on a blind date while she attended nursing school. He proposed in a sweet manner, hiding her engagement ring in a Cracker Jack box. Bill married the love of his life on March 22, 1958, and they were married 64 years until she passed away in 2022.
After high school graduation, Bill started working for Commonwealth Edison, the sole electricity provider for Chicago. He then joined the U.S. Marines and served two years in the Korean War. Bill returned to work for Commonwealth Edison as a tree trimmer to protect utility lines until his retirement.
Bill and Sue built their retirement home along Table Rock Lake near Lampe, MO. Bill loved to take family and friends out on their boat for fishing and waterskiing. They later moved to Lynden to be closer to their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A lifelong Lutheran, he was a member of Hope Lutheran Church in Lynden.
He is survived by daughters Shirley (Bruce) Koning and Bonnie (Dave) Brumbaugh, son Dan Bachal, granddaughters Nicole (Bryce) Carter and Jessica (Mike) Lafreniere, great-grandchildren Reid, Rhys, Zoey and Evelyn, and sister Donna Stone. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Suzanne, infant son Scott and brother Raymond Bachal.
A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20 at Hope Lutheran Church, 900 E. Grover St., Lynden.
Donations in Bill’s memory may be made to ELCA World Hunger, ELCA Gift Processing Center, P.O. Box 1809, Merrifield, VA 22116-8009, and Whatcom Hospice Foundation, Lockbox #1097 – Gift Processing, P.O. Box 35146, Seattle, WA 98124-5146.
