Willard "Bill" James Bort III

Bill was born on January 15, 1940, in Madison, Wisconsin to Willard and Maxine Bort. He grew up in Proctor, Minnesota with his brother Janard. He graduated from Proctor High School in 1958 and was an “Honor Athlete” lettering in seven different sports. Bill’s “low score” record at the Proctor Golf Club still stands.

After graduating high school, he attended the University of Minnesota Duluth and later attended Northern Technical School of Court Reporting. He also attended Minnesota School of Business where he met his future wife, Theo Miltenberger. They married on June 26, 1965, in Rugby, North Dakota. Bill was an active hunter and outdoorsman, which forced his wife to enjoy venison, daily, for the first year of their marriage.

In 1966, the newly-married couple moved to Yuma, Arizona for Bill’s employment as the official court reporter for Yuma County Superior Court. In 1980, Bill and Theo started their own business, Bort Court Reporting Service, which was successful for 30 years until their retirement. He was also a “Lifetime Member” and supporter of Yuma Elk’s Club since his arrival in Yuma.

Although the desert area game was different than Minnesota, Bill continued his love for hunting and would hunt anything that moved. He joined the Somerton Trap Club and was instrumental in expanding and moving the club to Adair Park. He became the President of the Yuma Trap and Skeet Club, Inc. for several years. In 1970, Bill won the State Trapshooting Championship in Phoenix.

In 1980, Bill returned to golf and became involved with the Mexican American Golf Association (MAGA). Bill was the man to beat and retained the MAGA State Championship title for four years (1982-1985). After MAGA, he joined the Desert Hills Men’s Association and became president for several years. Bill has a record for qualifying and playing in the Yuma City Golf Tournament’s Championship flight for 34 years. He won the City Golf Tournament in 2002. Local golfers who knew Bill affectionately referred to him as “The Goat,” “Billy Goat,” and the “The Old Goat.” The “Old

Goat” won the Senior Tournament six times.

Bort was inducted into the Desert Hills Hall of Fame in 2006 for three decades of support and countless hours to charity golf tournaments, junior golf clinics, and his work with the Desert Hills Mens’ Club at Desert Hills Municipal Golf Course. He was truly an ambassador and a mentor to the local golf scene.

Bill is survived by, an obviously tolerant wife, Theo. They had two sons, Michael and Christopher. Christopher and his wife Nereyda have three children, Hannah, Sebastian and Tristan. Bill was preceded in death by his parents and brother Janard.

A Celebration of Life reception to remember Bill will be held at Desert Hills Golf course on November 30, 2024, from 3:00 to 6:00. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of your choice in Bill’s name or to the Junior Golf program at Desert Hills.