William Edward Coles

William Edward Coles was born on May 11, 1930 in Hounslow, London, England to George and Agnes Coles. The younger brother of sister, Iris, he spent his youth initially in London, but as the bombing on London during World War II became too much, the family moved north. Returning to London, he completed his education and joined the Royal Airforce, where he spent time in the UK and in post war Germany.

Leaving the military, he began to work in avionics and found he enjoyed working on aircraft. In 1952 he emigrated to Canada and began his first career with Canadian Pacific Airlines, based in Vancouver. This afforded him the opportunity to travel as a flight engineer across Asia and Europe. While in Canada he met and married his first wife, Shirley Hamilton (deceased) who also worked for the airlines. Shortly thereafter, their first child, Christine was born and later Paul, who was born in the Netherlands while Bill was stationed there. Returning to Canada they continued to work for the airlines but found they both desired to live in California. After following the proper emigration process, they moved to Los Angeles where their third child, Stephen was born.

Bill worked for several aircraft companies including Garrett Air Research based at LAX. Later specializing in Auxiliary Power Units (APUs) he was able to work on a host of projects. While working at LAX, he was able to witness a number of historical events including Carroll Shelby testing his Cobra and Mustangs on the tarmacs late at night and meeting the then young Shah of Iran while touring the company. Always working on new innovations in his spare time, he created WECO Enterprises as a side business and invented a number of patented items. His largest was the Space Rider, which simulated weightlessness and was initially thought to be of value for NASA and the space program. Falling short of that goal, the ride was later marketed to Disney and ultimately placed in amusement parks including the Long Beach Pike and Belmont Park in San Diego. As the aircraft industry began to change, he desired a career shift and moved into the medical field, joining Bennett Respiration Products in Santa Monica, California as a technician working on medical ventilators.

Bill excelled in this new career and ultimately ended up in a leadership position. Bill worked for several companies throughout his career including Tri-Anim, Puritan Bennett, where he retired early and finally Infrasonics in Sorrento Valley, California where he retired for the final time. Bill enjoyed his nearly 30 year retirement and travelled the globe extensively for several decades. Bill enjoyed driving and would annually travel cross-country to visit friends. Bill’s last trip, accompanied by his son, Steve, was a final trek to his birthplace to revisit his early childhood through visits to the Royal Airforce and Imperial War Museums.

As Bill needed more assistance as he entered his 90’s, the decision was made to move him to be closer to his daughter and family in Oklahoma City. Moving into Assisted Living, Bill was able to spend his final years with family and his new friends there. Bill passed away after a short decline on March 6, 2025 just months shy of his 95th birthday.

Bill was married and divorced three times and preceded in death by his parents, older sister and his oldest son, Paul. He is survived by children Christine Toney and Steve Coles in addition to grandchildren, Eric Francis, Jessica Reeves, Jessica Coles, Daniel Coles, David Coles and Amanda Toney in addition to great grandchildren. At his wish, a memorial ceremony will not he held but his ashes will be spread in one his favorite locations in California at a later date.