William Henry Haas

Born in Denver, Colorado to Ava Mae Castle and Arthur Haas, our father, Bill, was raised with his two elder siblings Ava and Charles. Bill and his siblings came from the most humble beginnings, traveling west, stopping where work could be found, until they finally landed in Southern California. Bill would tell you himself that he was directionless for much of his young life, but at his core our dad was a doer. He took that lack of direction and turned it into industriousness, doing any job that was difficult and demanded strength of mind as well as body, he worked in car shops, metal shops and warehouses. In 1967, when friends with wives and children were getting drafted into Vietnam, Dad felt it was incumbent upon him, a kid with no wife, no kids, and no real prospects, to volunteer for the Marines in hopes that he might take the place of someone he considered more worthy of staying behind. This is probably the most emblematic example of the deep and abiding morality that ruled our father's life. There was right and wrong, and anything that meant helping and protecting others, no matter what their personal beliefs were, was right. Even in his senior years, which were all too brief, he never bought into the idea that the world somehow owed him something after all he had given, instead he continued to give even more back to it, believing that he had a responsibility to make this a better place for his children and grandchildren. He always knew what was right, especially when he met our mother, Anne Elizabeth Campbell Haas (Betsy). They were engaged within a week of meeting, and married within the year. They were married for 47 years and loved each other right up until the day of her death in July 2017. In that time they shared their passions for horseback riding, hiking, skiing and reading. They built a successful life together, and raised two children (Annie and Robert) giving us a start in life our dad never got, but always grounding us in the reality of his humble beginnings. He taught us strength and loyalty as he cared for our mother for 6 long years as Alzheimers took her mind and ultimately her body at the young age of 66. He taught us compassion as he always reminded us that those who are less fortunate did not choose their lot in life, but merely didn't get the helping hand that we did. He taught us bravery as he struggled to build a new life after the love of his life left him, and we watched with hope and wonder as we saw him begin to do just that in recent months. Now it appears that he will teach us perseverance as his final lesson.