William M. Mueller

1928 - 2024

William Max Mueller—Bill—died peacefully on January 10th, with wife Joan by his side. Family and friends will remember him for his warmth and kindness, and for the ways he supported his family and served the communities he was a part of throughout his life. He was always interested in learning about new ideas, the world, and everyone he met.

Born in San Francisco in 1928, he spent his boyhood in St. Maries, Idaho, before returning to the Bay Area in 1941. Bill was an Eagle Scout, a member of the R.O.T.C. and graduated as valedictorian from Alameda High School. He attended the University of California, Berkeley, eventually earning a PhD in Electrical Engineering. He met his wife Joan Grace Conlin at Alameda Presbyterian Church. They married and moved to Los Angeles in 1956, where began his career at Hughes Aircraft Company. He retired from corporate management in 1990.

Throughout his life, Bill pursued many interests and was involved in many community projects. He loved California's Sierra Nevada, hiking the entire John Muir Trail. He camped and backpacked with family, friends, church groups, and boy scouts in Yosemite, Kings Canyon, and throughout the southwest. Bill and Joan shared a love of art, music, and dancing. He was a member of the Long Beach Camerata Singers and supported the Long Beach Opera. Bill and Joan moved to Austin, Texas in 2009, where he joined Austin Interfaith and LAMP. He and Joan were members of the Congregational Church of Austin and of Appamada, a Buddhist community.

He is survived by wife Joan, daughter Elizabeth Mueller (Michael Oden), son Matthew Mueller (Bonnie Rodewald), son Karambir Singh Khalsa, and grandchildren Luke William Mueller-Oden and Charlotte Grace Mueller. He is also survived by his brother Stanley A. Mueller and wife Julia, nieces Erica Boivin, Kirstin Mueller, Julia McKinney, and Brita Grotte, and their spouses and children, cousins Nancy Stucker and Ted Bensen and their families. His extended family includes Joan's sisters Nora Petersen and Linda Warner, and children Joan Lopez, Kirsten Muskal, Andy Petersen, Lars Petersen, Beth Watson, and Amy Vandermeulen, and their spouses and children.

Donations can be made in his memory to The Yosemite Conservancy and to Berkeley Engineering.