William Walker Dillon Jr (Bill or Billy), 92, of Walsh Colorado, passed away on Friday, January 13, 2023 in Johnson City, Kansas, after a short illness.

He was born in Richards, Colorado to William and Nila Dillon on August 1, 1930 and was one of 11 children.  He graduated Walsh High School in 1948.  Bill met the love of his life, Laura Rae Rutherford (Happy), at a church youth revival in 1947.  He said he knew it was the woman he would marry because God told him so in a dream (at least that's what he told us kids).  They were married on November 12, 1949.  Three boys were born to this loving union: James Michael (Mike), Russell Allen (Rusty), and Jerry Robert (Bob).  Bill and his family did not stick around Walsh long though.  It wasn't long before they were traveling to various places for work.  The late 1950's and early 1960's saw them in the Panhandle of Texas for oil and gas work as well as helping build the Lake Meredith Dam (grandpa could tell you about a day he knocked power out for an entire town there!).  There was a time they owned a Dairy King in Simla, Colorado.  They began pipelining and worked in every state west of the Mississippi before retirement, including the Great Alaska Pipeline project in the 1970's.  Official retirement came in 1992 but it didn't mean it was final.  Bill went back to work twice after and went to upstate New York and to Utah, where he was featured on the cover of World Pipelines Magazine in August 2007 operating a side boom age 77.  He was nearly 80 and still working when his doctor recommended, he start slowing down.  But if you listened to him, "Nobody tells Bill Dillon what to do!" and that was the truth. But he did it anyway.  Grandpa Bill enjoyed spending time with his family.  His grandkids and great grands were always a treasure.  He made it long enough to meet one great great granddaughter and a great great grandson was born before he passed but due to the pandemic, we were unable to get a meeting to happen.  He did get to video chat with both before though.  Grandpa Bill will be remembered by all of the toys he always had on hand at the house like his "talking dog" and his remote-control excavator and other things he'd entertain the kids with.  And of course, by the stories he'd tell.  Somebody should have written them down but I'm sure we always knew we'd remember them forever.  And one could never forget Grandpa would say something like, "Now there's a lesson to learn from this…" or something to that effect.  And he was usually correct.  We will miss him and those lessons.

Bill is preceded in death by his parents, William and Nila; his wife, Happy; sons, Mike, Rusty, and Bob; Grandson, Kyle; Siblings, Marie Houser, RL Dillon, Violet Hickey, Eugene Dillon, Zella Westerman, Nina Wellmaker, and numerous friends and other Loved ones.

He is survived by grandchildren Chrystal and Hank Love of Borger, Texas; Shaun Dillon of Borger, Texas; Amy and Scott Gee of Bryan, Texas, Dirk and Christina Dillon of Richmond, Kentucky; Samuel and BrookLynn Dillon of Ingalls, Kansas.  Great Grandchildren Hank and Amber Love of Borger, Texas; Alexis and Donovan of Amarillo, Texas; Alexandra Matthews of Amarillo, Texas; Miracle Gee of Bryan Texas. Great, Great Grandchildren Luna and Perseus Downing of Amarillo Texas.