Bill Oney; A Man in Full


“ The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in the moments of comfort and convenience but where he stands in
in times of challenge and controversy.”

- Martin Luther King Jr.


Bill was born in San Francisco to Barbara and Mark Oney on February 23rd, 1946. He was a very
happy, healthy baby. When Bill was four, the family moved to Menlo Park, California. As an only child, some of his favorite companions were his pet snakes that lived in his snake den in their backyard. His other pets, a bull frog and raccoon, rounded out the group that engaged him for hours. Bill’s mother described her son as a curious, active and explorative child. He was given a wide berth of freedom which fostered his adventurous nature. His bike was his mode of transportation and he pedaled all around town. The family spent nearly every weekend at Bethel Island where they owned a marine shop. Bill’s father taught him every thing he knew about boat mechanics. Bill built a raft and went on a two day Huck Finn adventure with a friend while his dad followed secretly along. Bill proved to be a quick learner. His infinity for being on and near water shaped his later passion for sailing.

Bill graduated from Menlo-Atherton High School where he was active in water polo. He was also an olympic class water skier. At seventeen, Bill enlisted as a “kiddie cruiser” for the U.S. Navy serving as an electrician on the destroyer the USS Bausell. During this time he did two tours of duty running swift boats in Vietnam. Two years ago, Bill and his wife Diane attended a reunion in San Diego honoring those on the USS Bausell. At that time, he reconnected with an old shipmate, Lt. Jim Scull.

Following an honorable discharge from the Navy, Bill attended college at UC Berkley and graduated with a secondary teaching degree. During this time, he was a member of the steering committee for SDS (Students for a Democratic Society) and became active in politics on a national level.

Teaching was another one of Bill’s passions and he was a natural educator. His first job was teaching history, his favorite subject at Fremont High School. His next position was teaching marine electronics at Tracy Deuel Vocational Institution. He organized an inmate band with his enthusiasm for playing the guitar and the mandolin. He later gifted his mandolin to his musically talented nephew Shane.

After a challenging time working at Tracy, Bill felt the urge to “retreat to the mountains”! He moved to north shore Lake Tahoe where he became General Manager for Tahoe Boat Works. On the side, he studied and obtained his contractors license. After obtaining his license and forming Comstock Construction Company, Bill was the supervisor for Skyline Subdivision. It was during this project that he met Don Lonie, the master planner of the Caughlin Ranch. Through many discussions, Bill and Don agreed to joint venture Vista Pointe, a 65 home subdivision on the Caughlin Ranch. Don introduced his daughter, Diane to Bill in sharing the project. Bill and Diane quickly fell in love becoming inseparable. Five days later they became engaged and both married for the first time two months later. Bill was an ambitious man and a supportive, loving husband. Early in their marriage, they lost twins in birth and were devastated. Bill was Diane’s rock. Their daughter Jennifer was born two years later. The first year of Jennifer’s life revealed that she had undiagnosed severe disabilities. Of course, this created many challenges in their marriage and lives for another twenty five years. Unwavering love for each other and their daughter bonded rather than separated them. They lost Jennifer in 2013 yet her spirit remained with them. The following was written on a birthday card to Bill by his father-in-law, Don:

“In adversity you have kept your sense of direction when other men might have floundered. You have never compromised your principals of fairness and honesty. And most of all, you have cared for our daughter and granddaughter with love and tenderness. For this we will always love you. You have our respect and support in anything you do”.

Two years after Jennifer was born, Bill and Diane adopted their son Tieg. He was a precious gift to them. Both Bill and Diane embraced raising their only son with all their energy, time and love.
In 1992 their sailing dreams took shape. Tieg was two when they bought their first sail boat and named it the WISTER. They spent their summers for the next seven years at Meeks Bay on Lake Tahoe. They expanded their sailing horizons (and beautiful sunsets) when they bought the WISTER II and went south to the blue waters of San Diego. As Diane reflects “we had so many good friends and incredible times as our kids grew up boating together”. These friendships remained strong as they headed further south to Ensenada in 2008 to enjoy their new sail boat, a Beneteau 411 named SEA FROG. In Ensenada, Bill’s mother celebrated both her 89th and 90th birthdays enjoying tons of attention, kisses, horseback riding and margaritas. Many friends and family came down to Mexico to spend their vacation time traveling the area visiting the wine country, local events, beaches and enjoying a multitude of activities. In 2010, Bill and Diane took their one month dream trip to Thailand for their twenty-fifth anniversary. They rented a thirty-six foot sail boat Jeaneau Oddessy and sailed the Andaman Sea, just the two of them. They went to Cambodia to visit Angkor Wat. Two of the many highlights of their journey were riding the elephants and visiting the Hill and Longneck tribes.

In 1997, Bill began teaching at Western Nevada Community College. He articulated a four year bachelor program in Construction Project Management, which originated the first baccalaurate program, transitioned the school to Western Nevada College. He continued to certify building inspectors and OSHA inspectors among many other courses. Bill was recognized as a gifted and dedicated instructor by his many students. As put by Joseph, a teaching assistant of Bill’s: “Bill was a hands-on teacher and mentor who kept his students convinced that they would succeed. Real learning was personal for Bill and it was inevitable that those students who absorbed his wisdom also valued him as a friend”.

Their plans, after Bill’s retirement from the Western Nevada College in 2014 were to spend divided parts of the year between Puerto Vallarta, Mexico and their home in Galena near Lake Tahoe.
His plans also included to continue teaching week long classes through the college. Even in retirement, Bill felt then pull to continue teaching.

On August 18, 2015 , Bill passed away very unexpectedly at their home. It is a devastating loss for his wife Diane, son Tieg, and his mother Barbara. He will be dearly missed by his extended family and their wide circle of friends.

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