William Firmage Rummler

1943 - 2015

July 1, 1943 ~ September 20, 2015
St. George, UT-William Firmage Rummler passed away peacefully in his sleep on September 20, 2015 at his home in St. George, Utah, after a valiant battle with cancer. Born on July 1, 1943 in Long Beach, California, to Joseph Carl Rummler and Pauline Billie Rummler. He spent his youth in southern Utah attending Parowan Elementary and Milford High School where he enjoyed playing football as a linebacker, graduating in 1961. Bill treasured the friendships made in his high school years and rarely missed the class reunions where he and his old friends took long and happy looks back on their small town experiences together.
A hard worker, he worked his way through both undergraduate and law school at the University of Utah, earning his Juris Doctor in 1969 and immediately moved his family to Southern California. There he joined the prominent litigation firm of Booth, Mitchel and Strange in downtown Los Angeles where he achieved an early partnership and specialized in life, health, accident and other insurance related matters and in later years developed an expertise in employment law. He practiced law with that firm his entire thirty eight year career in California.
He was a gifted and articulate lawyer and held the unique ability to generate consensus among able lawyers in the firm and was highly respected by his opposition and the courts he appeared before. He was a familiar personality in the numerous courts of the Los Angeles County court system. As his practice matured, he was invited to turn his skills in personal relations to managing the firm's three offices and over sixty five lawyers holding the position of Co-Managing partner for ten years and Managing Partner for an additional eleven years.
He retired from the practice of law in California in 2007 and he and his wife, Roxanne Louise Batt, whom he married on August 21, 1993, moved to St. George, Utah where Bill and Roxanne were close to the mountains and desert terrain they loved and Bill could spend time in his beloved Beaver Mountains where he and Roxanne hiked and camped together.
Tiring of the retired life, Bill returned to the practice of law in St. George, developing a specialty practice in employment law, a legal arena where his clients, due to his caring and humble personality, felt not only protected and safe but saw their matters skillfully handled by a devoted and thoughtful advocate. He was a kind man and an extraordinary lawyer elevating his profession to its highest level.
Bill's personal interests were varied and included playing football, body surfing, reading widely, listening to music, hiking, camping, and driving fast cars. In the end he was a complete man of his profession and his family, devoted to it and to them. He is survived by his wife, daughter; Kim Ulibarri of Salt Lake City, daughter; Michelle (Russ) Sneed of Sacramento, California, five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren and his brothers; Gary (Val) Rummler of Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Roy (Sally) Rummler of Nampa, Idaho. He was preceded in death by his parents, his son, Troy Ronald Rummler, and childhood best friend, Mitch Baxter of Milford, Utah.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, September 26, 2015 at 1:00 p.m. in the Southern Utah Mortuary, 192 North 200 West, Beaver, Utah. A visitation will be held prior to services from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations sent to the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Salt Lake City. Arrangements entrusted to the care of Metcalf Mortuary, (435) 673-4221. Please visit our website at www.metcalfmortuary.com for condolences, complete obituary and funeral listings.