William Bakaleinikoff

1942 - 2018

William Paul Theriot Bakaleinikoff

William Paul Theriot Bakaleinikoff was born in Hollywood on November 11, 1942 to Yvonne and Anthony Theriot. Yvonne later married Mischa Bakaleinikoff, who adopted Bill and his brother Tony. Bill grew up watching Mischa direct the Columbia Studios orchestra as it recorded movie music scores.
His love of nature led him to explore the hills in his backyard, and to surf the Southern California coast from Zuma to Trestles. In his late teens, Bill re-met his birth father Tony and they discovered their shared love of cars and racing.
After serving in the US Marine Corps, Bill was involved in Hollywood's music recording business. He then joined the aerospace industry, creating an advertising agency to help promote America's space program.
In the 1970s Bill moved to Northern California, where he enjoyed the music scene. After being seated behind a pillar at a concert, he created "Sit Where You Want", a seating guide to the Bay Area's major entertainment venues.
Bill joined Advanced Robotics in the 1980s as its in-house ad agency; he later created Superior Robotics of America and Star Robots USA to continue his career. Star Robots' best-known creation, Robot Redford, gave the commencement speech at Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland in 1983. The speech stirred controversy and attracted news media from around the world.
Bill moved to Half Moon Bay in the mid-1980s, where he and Ellen joyfully found each other. Bill continued running his robotics businesses, and established Chiri-Bakaleinikoff & Associates International. The new company promoted products and services, and specialized in getting sponsors for Byrd-Cunningham's car #10 in the Indianapolis Racing League. In 1997, Hawai'i Representative Jerry Chang introduced Bill to the House of Representatives, where he spoke to encourage Indy racing in the state of Hawai'i. His Hawai'i-based company Aloha Asia International introduced and guided green business attitudes between east and west.
Bill retired in 2000 and continued his hobbies of surfing, writing, photography, mountain biking, and collecting diecast model cars. As Paul Theriot, he moderated the Diecast.org 1:18 Forum for 20 years. He became a docent at Pigeon Point Light Station, where his delightful narrative talents enchanted visitors.
Bill's uniqueness and zest for life inspired people all his life. His sense of humor lit the world—he was funny! And he was brilliant, exuberant, kind, honorable, a true friend, and a man of deep faith. Always positive and optimistic, Bill was the human equivalent of Spring. He was one of this world's finest human beings, and he will stay in our hearts forever.
Bill left this world for his next adventure on June 20, after a 3-year ordeal with kidney cancer. He leaves behind his loving—and beloved—wife Ellen Chiri-Bakaleinikoff; children David (Roberta) Bakaleinikoff, Mischa Bakaleinikoff, and Whitney Bakaleinikoff; sisters Annie Bakaleinikoff and Penny Theriot (Kevin) Perigan; and many grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
If you'd like to make a donation in Bill's name, please consider Mission Hospice: 1670 South Amphlett Blvd, Suite 300,San Mateo CA 94402.
A celebration to honor Bill will be held in September.