William James Wessell, 78, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, March 20, 2019 at his home in Eugene.
Bill was born on September 3, 1940 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Louis and Nora Wessell. After graduating from Pittsburgh's Central Catholic High School, Bill left his childhood home of Pennsylvania to begin college in his beloved Pacific Northwest. He earned his Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy from the University of Oregon and a Bachelor's Degree and Master's Degree in Forest Management from Oregon State University.
On December 20, 1966, Bill married Joan Gillaspie, joining his life with her and her son, Kevin. In 1969, the family welcomed daughter, Stephanie.
In 1969, Bill began his professional career in federal service as a Fire Researcher for the Canadian National Fire Research Laboratory in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (1969-1970). In 1970, Bill returned to the United States to start working as Bureau of Land Management Forest Geneticist and Silviculturist on Salem BLM District (1970-1975) and Coos Bay BLM District (1975-1989). In 1989, Bill moved to Arizona as the Natural Resources Staff Officer on the Forest Service's Tonto National Forest (1989-1994). He then returned to Oregon in 1994 as the Forest Silviculturist on the Willamette National Forest (1994-2000), retiring in 2000 after a productive, 30-year career in federal natural resources management.
Bill is survived by his daughter, Stephanie Dawn and her husband, George (Baron), of Salem, Oregon; his son, Kevin Wessell, his wife, Lesli and their two children, Sophia and Adam, of Lighthouse Point, Florida; his former wife, Joan Wessell of Corvallis, Oregon; his sister, Sister Mary Louise Wessell of Hyattsville, Maryland; and his sister, Alice Petropolous of Manhattan, New York and her daughter, Heather Petropolous of Brooklyn, New York. He was predeceased by his parents, Louis and Nora Wessell. Bill was a remarkably loving, compassionate and thoughtful man, husband and father. His loss is profound but he leaves a legacy of caring for his family and friends to continue.
Funeral mass will be offered for Bill on Tuesday, April 16, 2019 at 12:15 p.m. at St. Mary Catholic Church (1062 Charnelton Street, Eugene). Our family would be deeply honored by your presence as we celebrate his life.
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face;
the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again,
may God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Arrangements entrusted to Lane Memorial Funeral Home. Please access the obituary and you are invited to sign the guestbook at musgroves.com.
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Published by Eugene Register-Guard on Apr. 7, 2019.

Memories and Condolences
for William Wessell

Sponsored by Lane Memorial Gardens & Funeral Home.

5 Entries

MaryLouise Wessell

April 16, 2019

Bill was a brother to me and to our sister Alice and I will always be grateful for that. I am honored to have the name Wessell that came from our parents Nora Glanville Wessell and Louis Wessell who were very much loved by all of us. Bill was one of the smartest people I ever knew. I often thought that he would know the answer to something when I didn't know the answer. When he was in sixth grade, Bill went through several rounds of the spelling bee to be the runner up or winner for Western Pennsylvania. His picture was on the front page of the Pittsburgh Press for that accomplishment and he was also invited to be on a TV quiz show in Pittsburgh. Bill came across the country to visit our parents, Alice and her daughter Heather, and me at the times when his presence meant the most for us. I always told Bill news about the trees in DC and Maryland because he knew so much about trees, as his daughter Stephanie does now too. He was very proud of her. I last talked to Bill when he called on St. Patrick's Day, March 17. That was always a special.day in our family since our mother and all of her siblings were born in a lighthouse in County Clare, Ireland. Their father was in the Irish Coast Guard, called the Irish Lights. I am thankful for Bill and ask God to grant him eternal rest and to help all of us who miss him very much.

lou woltering

April 14, 2019

Hi Stephanie,
My name is lou Woltering. I had the pleasure and privilege of meeting your dad when he and I both attended silviculture training in California way back when. We became good friends. He had a great sense of humor, was very intelligent, especially about silviculture and forest management. I learned a lot from him. And the fact that I as a biologist and he as a timber beast (which he actually wasn't), helped us provide some good incite to the rest of the class. YOU were his pride and joy of all his life. Your accomplishments in track in college, your kayak trip from Alaska to Seattle, and your outstanding work as a silviculturist. I can't remember a time when we were together that he didn't mention your name. He was soooo proud of you. We kept in contact via e-mail over the years and he remained fairly quiet the last year or so but it was always fun to send him a birthday card which he appreciated. I shall miss him. I'm honored that I could call him a good friend. May God bless you and your family as you go through this trial and loss. I know he will always hold a special place in your heart as he will in my heart and memories.
very respectfully,
lou Woltering

PS, we always laughed and joked about what I said was the timber beast's one and only true silvicultural prescription, "clear cut, burn, and spray to field capacity".

Heather Petropoulos

April 11, 2019

Will miss joking with my Uncle Bill about being my most handsome uncle when he was my only uncle! I have very specific fond memories of him that will stay with me always.

April 8, 2019

May Peace be with you and your Family.

Alice Petropoulos

April 7, 2019

My brother Bill was a wonderful person with exceptional character. He loved the forests of Pennsylvania and Oregon. We miss his presence in the world so much. Alice Wessell Petropoulos

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