William Eugene Hoke

Bill was born on May 30, 1939 in Evansville, Indiana. He moved to Collbran,Co when he was six years old to his Step Fathers ranch on Grove Creek. He attended Little Creek school and Collbran Union High School. Bill joined the Marine Corp. on Feb. 13, 1958. After boot camp he was sent to Cuba due to the rising tensions between Castro and the U.S. He was then stationed at El Toro Marine Corp. Air Base. Shortly after, he went home on leave and that is when he met his Wife Velda. The two met on the fourth of July at the Collbran Auditorium, and married four weeks later on August 6th at El Toro Marine Base in Santa Ana, Ca., They welcomed their first child, a son, in 1961 and their second child, a daughter in 1962.

Bill did two tours in Vietnam, with the Marine Corp. in 1966, and with the Army in 1969. Between 1962 and 1966 he was an instructor at the Marine Corp. Mountain Warfare Training Center (MCMWTC). The latter half of 1966 Bill was injured during a routine patrol in Vietnam, when he fell into a Punji trap and took a wooden spike to the right leg and was hospitalized for a short time. He went back to being an instructor at the MCMWTC when he received his honorable discharge from the Marine Corp. He worked in a copper mine in Yerington, NV for a short time. Bill missed being in the Military so much that he joined the Army on Sept. 30, 1967. He was sent back to Vietnam where he was severely wounded on April 17, 1969.

Bill never bragged or boasted, but, he received : Good Conduct Vietnam Service Medal, Pistol Expert Badge, Rifle Marksmanship, National Defense Service Medal, and a Purple Heart from the Marine Corp. He received: Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, Vietnam Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Badge with Rifle Bar (M-14) from the Army. The Military retired him in Nov. 1969. He moved home to Collbran in 1971.

He went to saddle making school in South Dakota and started making saddles with Bob Klenda, the ladybug was his trademark stamp. He was also active in the D.A.V. and worked his way up to State Commander for a year. He moved to Callao, Mo in 2005 where he was a very active member of Callao Christian Church, working his way up to Elder. He moved back home to Collbran, in 2019. Church, reading, fishing, hunting and his family were some of his favorite things.

Bill is survived by his wife Velda, his son Shane (Debbie) Hoke, his daughter Stacy (Jeff) Christensen, eight grandkids, Brandi, Jeffrey, Chance, Dusty, Cody, Ory, Krystina (Krys), and Tabitha, 17 Great Grandkids, and one Great Great Grandson.

He is preceded in death by his dad Willard Hoke, mom Norma Jean Hoke, sister Sherri Hoke and brother Jim Hoke.

A committal service with honors for William will be held Tuesday, February 15, 2022 at 1:00 PM at Veteran's Cemetery of Western Colorado, 2830 Riverside Parkway, Grand Junction, Colorado 81505.

William will be laid to rest in Veteran's Memorial Cemetery of Western Colorado, 2830 Riverside Parkway, Grand Junction, Colorado 81505.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.callahan-edfast.com for the Hoke family.