William "Bill" J. Crippen

Crippen, William John (Bill) was born on December 30, 1930 in Pasadena, CA and passed away on July 2, 2009 in Spokane, WA. He is survived by his brother Don (Bebe), four nephews, one niece, and his life-long friends Wendell K. Banning and Larry Thomas. His parents, Arthur Willis Crippen and Mary Bond Collins Crippen, and brother, Arthur Ransom Crippen preceded him in death. In his youth, Bill and his family were active in the Methodist Church. Bill was an avid photographer and had an intense interest in astronomy and telescopes. Bill graduated from Pasadena City College in 1949 and received his AA degree in Electrical Technology in 1951. After getting his AA degree, he served his draft obligation in the Navy. He graduated from Interior Communications Electronics School with a score of 95.41. He started out as a fireman striker and worked his way up to 1st class petty officer in four years. Following his Navy service he was employed with Hycon Laboratories in Monrovia, CA in the development of cameras and optics for satellites and spy planes. Before he moved to Spokane in 1989 to join his good friends Wendell and Larry as owners and operators of Hillyard Florist, he worked for Ball Corp. as a contractor at Jet Propulsion Laboratories in Pasadena, CA on the development of a practical battery for electric powered vehicles. His service to the Spokane community included a term as President of the Hillyard Festival Association and membership in the Greater Hillyard Business Association. During the last 10 years, he was on the volunteer staff of Spokane Civic Theatre and enjoyed helping out at the annual Elvis Tribute parties hosted by Jacquie and Ron Hultquist. Our thanks to the staff of Royal Park Care Center for his excellent care. We will miss our beloved friend. Visitation will be Thursday, July 9 from 10:00am – 5:00pm and Friday, July 10 from 9:00am – 5:00pm at Riplinger Funeral Home 4305 N. Division, Spokane, WA. Funeral service will be 1:00pm on Saturday, July 11, 2009 at Riplinger Funeral Home with interment following at Fairmount Memorial Park Cemetery.