father. brother. husband. friend.
Bill with his children, Jennifer and Adam.
The sun was shining and Bill had just finished mowing the lawn when he died peacefully in his backyard on Friday, October 9, 2020 at his home in Burien, Washington.
Bill was born October 5, 1944, in Perth, Australia to William and Betty Rainey. He was the oldest of his four siblings. When Bill’s dad was in the service, he and his mother relocated to Mississippi from Australia. They stayed there for some time with his grandparents until Bill’s father was transferred to Honolulu at which time they moved to Hawaii, eventually putting down roots in San Diego.
In San Diego, he made a name for himself with his regular appearances in the local newspaper as the star football and track athlete at Crawford High. His nickname among his classmates was “Mr. Touchdown”.
Bill graduated high school in 1962 as a highly recruited football prospect eventually deciding on USC for the next step of his career. At USC he continued to impress on the gridiron while he pursued English and Physical Education degrees - until being drafted into the military in 1965. He served in the United States Army, during the Vietnam War as an artillery training sergeant. Bill was honorably discharged in 1967 at which time he returned to school at San Diego State University where he played football for the Aztecs and continued his education. He was scouted by the NFL before suffering a career-ending knee injury.
Out of school, he worked for years at Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) where he quickly found his passion for helping people and fighting for worker’s rights. He further cemented that passion when he joined the Teamsters Brotherhood as a Union and Business Representative for the airline industry. He remained a steady hand in the Union and a rock for so many, all the way up to (and some might say beyond) his retirement.
Bill enjoyed entertaining, traveling, golf, cooking, attending baseball games, telling stories of his life, working with tools, building things, and being stubborn with his opinion. But above all, he found immeasurable joy in caring for the people he loved.
Bill is survived by his daughter, Jennifer Sniffin; son, Adam Rainey; brothers, Van, Chuck and Mike Rainey; sister, Jan Troyan; bonus children, Destinee Reguilon, Kiera Granston and Tristen Ingraham; grandchildren, Lauren Sniffin, Amelia, Hailie & Allison Ingraham, Mirah Reguilon and Charlie & Bode Granston; and the countless other lives he touched.
Bill’s final resting place will be at Miramar National Cemetery in San Diego next to Miramar Air Station.
Thank you to John Fry for his archival website honoring Crawford High alums. To read more about Bill’s high school days please visit his page here.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Bill’s name to one of his favorite organizations.