William James Elliott

William James Elliott (Bill) was born in Trout Lake, Michigan on May 26, 1941 to Emily Hazel Leona Hughes and Roy Charles Elliott. When Bill was a baby they moved to the town of Rudyard in teh UP of Michigan. His father Roy was a lumber jack and his mother was a chef at the town hotel. Bill had three older sisters, Florence Amelia, Cathleen Alice, Betty Rosella and an older brother Roy Charles Jr. Bill also had a younger sister Rose Marie. His parents had 6 children altogether. Bill went to school in the town of Rudyard and was on the debate team of his high school which was invited to the State Capital of Michigan for a championship debate in which they won. He also belonged to Future Farmers of America and the Boy Scouts of America. When he was 10 years old he went to work for a few of the local farmers where he drove tractors, stacked hay bales and milked cows for the summer. After he graduated from High School he went to work for his sister Betty's husband as a brick layer in the town of Elkhart, Indiana. A few years later he decided to move to sunny California to get away from the cold winters in Indiana. He apprenticed as a plumber to Clark Plumbing and learned the trade. During that time he met his soon to be wife Britt Lagerquist Leasure at a dance and they fell in love and were married on February 20, 1970. Bill and Britt reared 3 sons. Timothy James Leasure from Britt's previous marriage, Daniel James Elliott and David James Elliott.

He then went to work as an Operating Engineer at the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. Then Marine land and Disneyland. From there to the World Headquarters of Hughes Aircraft where he became the Supervisor of the Operating Engineers. Bill was very proud that his facility won the annual award for best facilities globally three years in a row during his tenure. Britt and Bill divorced in 1980 and he remarried and moved to North Carolina and went to work for Glaxo as an Operating Engineer in the pharmaceutical industry.

On September 2, 2006 our son Timothy got married and had his reception on the Queen Mary in Long Beach and he came to the wedding and danced back into Britt's life. Bill went home to North Carolina to retire and divorced his 2nd wife Beth. Bill then moved to Bemidj, Minnesota to be close to his son David and bought a home there. Bill and Brit kept in contact while he was living in Minnesota and he decided to come back to California. Bill and Britt were together the 2nd time around 14 years until his death on October 21, 2020. Bill is survived by Britt Lagerquist Elliott and son Daniel Elliott (wife Josie), grandchildren Brandon, Addison and Carter Elliott; son David Elliott, grandchildren Brendon and Brittany Elliott; son Timothy (wife Jessica), grandchildren Harley and Hannah Leasure; sister Betty Elliott Desrochers; niece Shonna Desrochers Olivie'r (husband Rene'); sister Rose Elliott Lindgren (husband Ken).

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