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William Rhea Obituary
January 7, 1960 –
May 12, 2015
A philosophical and introspective soul, Bill displayed a keen intellect and gentle grace. Excelling at many pursuits-education, sports, medicine-he chose to spend his time caring for others as a devoted father and nurse practitioner.
Bill was born in Washington D.C. and spent his formative years in Berkeley, California. He attended USF as an undergraduate, completed the EMT/ Paramedic program at Stanford University, and received his Nurse Practitioner degree from Samuel Merritt University. More recently, he practiced in the Chico and Redding area, developing a reputation as an intuitive healer and thoughtful listener.
He is survived by his beloved son Willie; stepmother Helen; siblings Vince, Siobhan, Regan, Fiona, Jennifer, and Timothy; and many nieces and nephews. He will be missed greatly.
The funeral Mass is scheduled for Saturday, June 13, 2015 at 9:30 am at Saint Mary Magdalen Church, 2005 Berryman St., Berkeley.
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Memories and Condolences
for William Rhea
Sponsored by The Bonomos.
Lesley Foster
September 26, 2015
The world was a better place with you in it, Bill. May you be at peace and surrounded by happiness always. You are truly a kind and gentle soul. I am honored to have known you and worked with you.
June 19, 2015
God's gain and our loss. Huge loss as Redding could use a hundred more William Rhea's. My heart is sick. I only treated with him a few times but he made you feel like you were the only patient there. What a gift he had. God bless...
peter nahm
June 18, 2015
Thank you Bill for being a great mentor to me and many more in EMS .. I loved working wth you and respected you !! I'm so sad to hear this news but will pray for you .. God bless you and your family
carlos harvey
June 13, 2015
RIP Bill. You were an amazing medic. My condolences to his family and everyone who knew him. Thank you for your service.Job well done. God bless you..
Christi Torres-Rogers (ALCO medic)
June 13, 2015
This makes my heart so heavy. There were very few people I trusted at AMR, but Bill was one of them. I enjoyed working with him and talking about his son Will. He always had a big hug waiting for me, words of encouragement, and sound advice from life experiences. He was an amazing gift to all the lives he touched. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and those who loved him. We will meet again my friend. Love and Big Bear Hugs to you!
Sarah (Fields) Hamilton
June 11, 2015
Fare Thee well, my old friend and mentor. Thank you for all you taught me. Thank you for all the laughs, and thank you for leaving so many of us with memories that make us smile. Watch over us in our pursuits to be as great as you have been.
June 11, 2015
RIP Bill, you were a fantastic medic and a wonderful mentor. You will be missed.
I had a great time working with you at AMR.
Lynda Havens Ennis
June 11, 2015
RIP Bro enjoyed our time at Allied working the streets with you
Brian Schnabel
June 11, 2015
So sad, met Bill at Allied Ambulance and worked around him at Regional/AMR. Very interesting person to run things by would have advise I would never think of. To Bill's family he touched so many peoples lives be proud of his kind heart and we thank you for sharing him with us.
Ginger Merriman
June 11, 2015
I worked with Bill in the 1990s and was touched by his gentle kindness.
Cyn Davis
June 11, 2015
Bill was an EMT classmate back 1986. We sat next to each other. He was a very kind soft spoken person with a calming aura. RIP Bill you will be missed.
Cyn Davis
Tom B.
June 8, 2015
William, You are greatly missed. I have seen you help so many , and save so many lives. I will miss working with you and one day we will see each other again in Heaven. My prayers for your Son who I know you were so proud of graduating, and your family. Gods comfort to all. Your Medical Assistant. Tom.
Trish Trantham
June 5, 2015
I did not know Bill on a personal level, as he was my care provider for years. I am certain that he approached everything in life as he did his patients; with a deep, caring devotion to people. May his family be at peace knowing that his life and love of medicine changed lives, healing bodies and souls.
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