Bill Farrell Hightower

HIGHTOWER, Bill Farrell Bill Hightower passed away peacefully at the age of 89 in his home in Kennewick, Washington on February 5, after a brief illness, with his wife Shannon at his side. He was born January 27, 1931 in Oklahoma to William Jurd and Martha Colene Aldridge Hightower. The family established a home in Buckeye, Arizona and from there roamed the West working on large construction jobs during the war years. Eventually they arrived in Richland, Washington to work at the Hanford site. After serving in the US Air Force during the Korean War, Bill married Glenda Jane Rollison of West Richland in 1953. By late 1959 they and their two children had moved to Cardiff By-The-Sea, California to work at General Atomics. Their marriage ended after 18 years and Bill moved to Austin, Texas to work at Medical Carbon Research Institute as a technical specialist. In 1993 he reconnected with his high school sweetheart, Shannon Craig. Bill was an avid pilot who flew various airplanes long distances around the country, including the one Honey Bee in existence from San Diego to Washington and back, an Aeronca Champ from Canada to Texas, and a Vans RV-6a from Texas to Washington and California. He is survived by his wife Shannon Gross Hightower of Kennewick, his daughter Janet Hightower of Encinitas; his son and daughter-in-law David Hightower and Nancy Lindbergh of Oceanside, CA; and his grandson Mark Deakins, also of Oceanside.