William Gary Gough

William Gary Gough, 74, a resident of the Portland community, passed away on November 30, 2022, in his home.
Bill was born in 1948 in Los Angeles, CA. He was the second of five children born to Leslie and Alice (McGowan) Gough. He was raised in San Benito County and graduated from San Benito High School with the Class of 1966.
After high school, Bill joined the United States Army and served his country honorably in Vietnam. During his tour there, he was wounded in action, and for his military service, he received several commendations.
Bill was a lifelong hard worker. In California, his work ethic and skill set as a general contractor led to owning and operating WG Gough Construction. During those years, he designed and built several custom homes in Gilroy and Hollister, California. In 1993 Bill relocated to Oregon to be near his family.
Bill enjoyed the outdoors, especially during his 30's and 40's when he took every opportunity to go hunting, fishing, or camping along the Merced River near Yosemite. Later, he spent time living on a ranch where longhorn cattle and horses were being raised and where he could share his love of the outdoors with his daughters. In his younger years, Bill enjoyed fast cars; in later years, working on cars and motorcycles, with many projects going on at once. He was known to be a jokester and had quite the shirt collection of clever, witty, or sarcastic graphics he wore daily. He loved his fresh cups of coffee and online shopping, specifically Amazon. He enjoyed cooking, sharing recipes, feeding everyone who walked through his door, and spending time with his family and friends. Most of all, he loved to listen to the conversations of those around him and put smiles on their faces.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, Robin Gough and Melinda Freitas.
Bill is survived by his two daughters, Brandi (Dustin) Barnes and Vanessa Pena (Stephen), both of California; two sisters, Carol Garcia and Candy (Mark) Maroney, both of California; "brother from another mother/cousin" Larry (Kimberly) Titus; five grandchildren: Destinee, Madeline, Johnny, Cole, and Terrence; and a "bonus daughter" Katie Burt of Portland.
Plans for Bill's memorial service are pending at this time. His final resting place will be in a national cemetery in California close to his family.
To honor Bill's memory, please consider donating to The Wounded Warrior Project at support.woundedwarriorproject.org or the American Diabetes Association at diabetes.org. Or simply enjoy a shot of Wild Turkey or a hot cup of coffee while playing Fortunate Son by Credence Clearwater Revival, preferably at a high volume.