William Clifton Kingsley

KINGSLEY, William Clifton, 93, of Surprise, Arizona passed away on February 23, 2019. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on October 20, 1925, the son of William Elihu Stein and Florence Viola Toms. His early years were spent with his brother Jack in Manhattan, New York. At 17, he moved in with his father until he died 6 months later. After spending some time with his mother in Hartford, Connecticut, Bill dropped out of school finding a job as an office boy at the General Artists Corporation and living in a hotel in downtown Manhattan. The draft notice arrived in 1943 where he saw the Navy less daunting than being on the streets and there he served as a pharmacist's mate.

William met the love of his live Dorothy Vivian Erickson when assigned to St. Albans Naval Hospital in Queens, New York. They were married on April 1, 1945 while stationed at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station. After discharge from the Navy in 1946 they moved to Colorado in 1947 with a one year old. Taking advantage of the GI Bill, he attended the University of Denver where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in Pre Med and two years later his Masters. Although wishing to practice medicine he needed to support his family so when an offer came to teach in the Denver School system he jumped on it. For the next 45 years he and Vivian raised their family in Denver, Colorado where he taught biology, photography and environmental studies in the Denver Public Schools. He, on average, taught one hundred children a semester, two hundred students a year. He said he felt he reached at least eight thousand young men and women who passed through his classroom during his four-decade career.

Bill and Vivian traveled extensively over the years, visiting over 100 countries on 6 continents. On almost every trip a past student would come up to him saying what a wonderful teacher he was. After retirement they moved to Sun Lakes Arizona where Bill enjoyed golfing and Vivian painted.

Bill leaves son William “Pete” Kingsley of Sun City West Arizona, son Richard Kingsley of Castle Rock Colorado, daughter Susan Daywitt of Harleysville Pennsylvania, 4 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren.