William Edward Crane

1948 - 2025

Born William Edward Crane, Willie was a uniquely friendly and generous soul. He knew everyone's birthday and anniversary and always called. He would call mothers on their child's birthday. With more than 5 decades in western Sonoma County, and because of his constant curiosity and gregarious nature, he knew an incredible amount of local history. He was known to many locals as the barefoot guy. He contributed generously to The Redwood Food Bank for years, since he firmly believed in helping locally. By profession, he was a skilled carpenter and concrete finisher – and he did wear work boots, but only when he was on an official job site. His passion, however, was white water rafting. He was a renowned river guide with over 20 trips down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, and many more trips down too many other western US rivers to name. He loved being on the water, and was as happy rowing flat water so a passenger could fish as he was reading the waves and riding the rapids. Willie's life is celebrated by his family and the many people he touched through the years.