William Proper

1944 - 2017

Proper, William

William Everett Galbraith Proper, "Bill", of Hector died at home in the early morning hours of September 2, 2017. Bill was born in Des Moines, Iowa on March 6, 1944, the fourth child of William Glisan Proper and Marjorie Carryer Proper. Bill was predeceased by his parents and his eldest brother, Datus Proper. He is survived by his wife of 49 years, Lynda Proper, his younger brother, Carl Proper, his daughter, Halle Jones, his son, Christopher Proper (Melissa Head), his sister, Rosemary Staudenmeyer, and his other sister, Caroline Ennis, He is also survived by 2 nieces and 2 nephews.

Bill lived in Yellowstone Park for the early years of his life. His whole family relished the years they spent there, and Bill developed a lifelong love of the wilderness and all the things you could do in it. As a child Bill was especially proud of presenting his mother with a trout he had caught on one of his solitary treks to the Yellowstone River. He always enjoyed recounting the story of coyotes paying particular attention to him as he floundered in the deep snow on one of his many excursions. He learned that in the wilderness you should be careful not to look like prey.

Bill graduated from Mount Herman School in Gill, Ma. He then went on to Cornell University where he was on the Lacrosse team for a year, and graduated with a major in English in 1968. Bill loved to read.

When Bill and his family settled in Hector in 1970, Bill found a job at the Ithaca Gun Company. Over the years Bill worked in assembly and in the service department until 2008. He followed the company from Ithaca to Kings Ferry, then to Auburn, and finally to Upper Sandusky, Ohio, where he helped the new owners interpret the antiquated gun blueprints for use with modern machinery. Bill loved his job; it was the only job he ever wanted to do.

Bill spent his last years enjoying retirement. He often mentioned how nice it was to not have to go out at 6 am in the dark, frigid, snowy winter mornings to drive so many miles to work.

Friends and family are invited to gather on Wednesday, September 6, 2017, at 1:00 pm at Greensprings Natural Cemetery and Preserve, 293 Irish Hill Rd, Newfield, NY 14867 for Bill's burial. Directions to the cemetery can be found at http://www.naturalburial.org/directions/ In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the VLH Volunteer Fire Company, 5736 Rte 414 PO Box 46, Hector, New York. The family is grateful to them for coming out in the middle of the night to help Bill. To leave the family a message of condolence, or to light a "Candle of Remembrance", please visit www.vedderandscottfuneralhome.com