William Floyd Bentley

William Floyd Bentley passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of June 6, 2025 after a short, but brave battle with cancer. He was born February 20, 1945 in Aurora, Ill. to Floyd Maurice and Mary Lou (Critton) Bentley.

Bill grew up near his beloved grandparents, Maka and Blee, and his aunts, uncles and cousins in Aurora where he excelled as an athlete in baseball and football. He was the responsible eldest son and grandson and looked out for his younger sisters Annabel and Betsy. He graduated from West Aurora High School in 1964 and then attended the University of Illinois for a year before transferring to Monmouth College where he played guard on the Fighting Scots Football Team, and was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity. Bill graduated with a B.A. in English in 1968 from Monmouth.

Following college, Bill worked briefly in New York before being drafted into the Army. Following his basic training at Fort Polk, LA, he attended Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, GA, before being deployed to Vietnam. He served his country bravely as a First Lieutenant and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry for his heroic and meritorious service working in Bien Hoa Province as Team Leader of two Mobile Advisory Teams. He was asked to stay on after his tour in Vietnam with a promotion to Captain, but he chose to leave the service.

Once he finished his time in the Army, Bill moved west and ended up in Park City, UT where he owned and operated The (Fabulous Famous) Forge Club on Main Street. It was here that he developed his lifelong fondness for skiing, often remarking that it was the most fun you could have wearing a lot of clothes. He later moved to Salt Lake City where he worked in advertising, managed Yellow Cab Company, tended bar, and ran a branch of his family's Bentley Travel Agency. He also met and married Pamela Stone in 1977, and they proudly welcomed their son Conor in 1983.

Bill was clearly a master of many trades, but his true passion and talent was always writing, and in 1986 he left Utah for Hollywood to pursue his dream of screenwriting. His deep appreciation for classic films was always on display, both in his work and conversation. His original screenplays were varied, and bore the mark of someone who had studied the work of greats like Orson Welles, Preston Sturges, Billy Wilder, and Frank Capra, among others. His writing talents translated to the television screen as well, including writing scripts for shows such as MacGyver, Hawkeye, and M*A*S*H.

While he always found time to make annual ski trips to Utah, he also indulged his love of tennis as a member of the storied Los Angeles Tennis Club. While he spent many splendid hours playing on the courts at the LATC, nothing compared to meeting the love of his life, Penny Johnson, on center court at a club hoe down in 1993. It was a true love match, and they married in 1995, having their wedding reception on center court. For the next thirty years they traveled, skied, entertained, cooked, and spent time together with family and friends.

Many knew Bill from his column that ran in the Larchmont Chronicle for 31 years- Professor Know-it-All. He welcomed the questions that readers and friends had, with many trying and always failing to stump him. From "Why is it called 'Scotland Yard'?" to "What is the 'Hoi Polloi'?" he would answer any and all queries with his trademark wit and thoughtfulness.

In addition to the many scripts he both wrote and doctored over his long and prolific career in Hollywood, Bill wrote nearly 175 shows for the Bohemian Club in San Francisco. Being a Bohemian was tremendously important to him and in many ways he embodied the spirit of Bohemia by using his immense creative talent to serve and entertain. He shared many special moments with his fellow Bohemians working on shows at the City Club and at the Grove, and took great pride seeing the amazing productions he wrote come to fruition. While the shows were a very public accomplishment, he also reveled in the many low key nights spent around the fire at Moonshiners camp with his closest friends, telling stories and jokes, of which he had hundreds.

Bill was worldly and had the gift of gab and showmanship. Every story and joke he told was engrossing and enlightening, and he had an easy time commanding the attention of any room he inhabited. It was a talent that he inherited from his great grandfather, grandfather, and parents. He was an expert host, bartender, and chef, making signature meals that left guests raving and asking for the recipe. He was a sports fan and a student of many games, always eager to share his thoughts and memories of sporting events he had watched or attended, none more so than the ones of his beloved Green Bay Packers, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago Blackhawks. He was also an avid hunter and fisherman, delighting in his annual trip to Lake of the Woods in Canada.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Annabel Bentley and Betsy Christopher, and cousin Bob Conklin. He is survived by his wife Penny, son Conor (Mary Anne Wetzel), nephew Patrick Bentley (Mary), as well as many cousins and countless friends. A special thank you to the doctors and nurses at the VA Hospital who treated and cared for Bill during the past few months.

There was the deep spiritual side to Bill that was very important to him which prepared him to be with his Creator, Lord and Savior. He grew up in a Christian home, and his great grandfather, Hugh Orchard, was a Methodist minister. Bill was mentored by "Gran" and learned how to apply the Bible to his daily life. Bill "walked the talk." He loved his neighbor as himself. Bill's favorite verse was Psalm 46:10 - "Be still and know that I am God."

Bill will be honored by his family in a private ceremony later this summer at his Moonshiners Camp in the beautiful Bohemian Grove in Northern California, amongst the splendid redwood trees along the Russian River.

"You are here and it is now. All else is Moonshine."

- Moonshiners Camp Motto