William W. "Bill" Bliss

1924 - 2017

William W. "Bill" Bliss

July 7, 1924

July 11, 2017

William W. "Bill" Bliss passed away on July 11, 2017 at his home in Carson City, Nevada. Born in Oakland, California on July, 7, 1924, Bill, known by many simply as "Uncle Bill", lived an extraordinarily rich and full life. With an ever-present twinkle in his eye, a gift for wry, good humor, a genuineness of character and a gentle warmth, he was loved and adored by his family and his countless friends. He will be missed by so many.

The son of Will and Hatherly Bliss, Bill spent his early home life in Piedmont, California before attending his beloved Cate School in Carpinteria for high school. As a direct descendant of D.L. Bliss, Bill spent all of his summers at the family home in Glenbrook, Lake Tahoe, where the family owned and operated the Glenbrook Inn and Ranch. Along with his younger sister, who he nicknamed Sis, Bill enjoyed the many summer traditions at Glenbrook, including "hanging around" the many celebrities who frequented Glenbrook through the years. Bill, always somewhat shy and unassuming, had a knack for befriending the many different people who worked or stayed at the Inn. A private person by nature, he made friends easily throughout his life.

After serving in the Navy during the war, Bill graduated from UCLA in 1947. In his bachelorhood, which extended into his forties, Bill lived in San Francisco, but he traveled frequently to Hawaii and Tahiti, beginning a lifelong passion for the music, art and lifestyle of Polynesia. When he wasn't traveling in the Islands or spending time at Glenbrook, during these years Bill could be found on Leavenworth Street, enjoying an active and fruitful social life. Handsome and debonair, Bill's bachelorhood was legendary.

In 1960, upon the death of his father, Bill took over management of the family business. Bill ran the Glenbrook Inn and Ranch until it closed in 1975. Never inclined to formal business management, Bill was a stern boss equally revered and feared by the professional staff as well as the younger college-age dining room crew. Late into his life, this "D House" crowd virtually worshipped Bill Bliss, a fair and honest boss, who suffered no nonsense and kept the Inn a charming, unique outpost of old-time Tahoe hospitality.

Bill also kept a place in Aspen, Colorado, where he enjoyed annual winter excursions and it was there that he met Mary Reidel Wheeler of Darien, Connecticut. Known as Rudy, she and Bill would marry in New York in 1969, surrounded by her children Halsted (Hawley), Geoffrey and Alexandra (Roo) Wheeler. Thus began the happiest times in Bill's life. He and Rudy shared a home in Carson City and in July 1970 their son, William Todd (Billy) Bliss was born to great fanfare. They lived a rich and exciting life filled with a range of close and important friends. Bill began his painting career at this time, becoming through the years an accomplished watercolorist, who showed his work privately, but also shared a double bill at Reno's Stremmel Gallery with the well-known Western artist and good friend, Ted Waddell.

Rudy tragically passed away of cancer in 1992. Bill married Barbara Witter in 1994 who also sadly died of cancer soon thereafter. Bill spent his later years pursuing his passions. He painted extensively, collected Western art and artifacts, wrote a book on the family history at Lake Tahoe and received an Honorary Degree from the University of Nevada, Reno. He built a museum at his summer residence to house the trove that chronicled the Bliss family in Nevada going back to the 1860's. He cherished his time with family and friends at the Lake, especially the August visits of the Wheeler clan, who gave him six grandchildren, who he equally adored.

Bill was predeceased by his wives, Rudy and Barbara, his parents, his sister, Sis Bliss Knowles, and his dear son, Billy. He is survived by his stepchildren, Hawley, Geoffrey (Mary), and Roo (Rocky Rukan), his niece, Megan Walton (Bill), their son, Will, his nephew, Will Schutte (Suzanne), their children, Anna Bliss, Jake and Graham Koten, and his grandchildren, Madeline and Eliza Wheeler, Emily, Lynny and Isabel Wheeler, and George Rukan. Uncle Bill's memory will be treasured by all who were fortunate to share time with him. His generosity, affection, grace, good humor and direct manner will be forever missed. It is truly the end of an era.

Contributions in his memory can be made to the Western Folklife Center, hosts of the annual Cowboy Poetry Gathering, at 501 Railroad St. #306, Elko, NV 89801. A celebration of Uncle Bill's life will be planned for a later date at Glenbrook, NV. Here's to you, Uncle Bill, to a life well-lived!