Bright blue eyes
An infectious smile
A song
A tease followed by a squeeze
A compliment... words of encouragement
A question "Are you right with God?"


Bill was born October 9, 1940 in Glasgow, Montana to William J and Anna Sutter. When he was three his dad took a teaching position at Montana State College. The family, including a new baby sister - Mary Ann, moved to Bozeman.

Billy was a busy boy and full of fun. He loved riding bike, climbing trees, and anything FAST! He had a fast horse named Silver and a pet chicken named Red Head. He spent Saturdays helping his dad at the college and Sundays in church. His musical talent was apparent at an early age and his voice could be heard above the congregation. He began directing the church choir when he was only fifteen.

After graduating from high school in 1957 he spent two years at Central Bible Institute in Springfield, Missouri to become a minister of music and youth. Each summer he traveled with the Magnifiers Quartet giving concerts in surrounding states. He then went for his BA at Seattle Pacific College in music theory and literature, and on to the U of W for education certification.

He met his soul mate Sharyn at a party during Seattle Pacific College's spring break in1962, where they discovered they were both from Montana. On one of their very first dates they went to the Space Needle during the Seattle World's Fair. They fell in love and were married during winter break, December 21, 1964. 53 years ago! He always joked that it was the longest night of the year. They both taught in the Seattle Public School system and when school let out for summer, they would head to Montana to help out on the family farms. {Sharyn's near Kremlin and Bill's near Glasgow}

Bill welcomed change. He left teaching to sell insurance and directed church choir. [We were in good hands] September 25, 1968 the Lord blessed us with a beautiful baby girl, Desiree. Bill cried and prayed that he would be a good father. Shortly after her birth Bill received a job offer from Ford Motor Company which he wanted. Bill received his education in business from Ford. The new job required Bill to travel. On July 15th 1970 they had a baby boy, here was no choice of names this time, and William it was. We were twice blessed!

In the spring of 1975, Sharyn's dad had a heart attack and needed someone to go to the Kremlin farm. This was an opportunity to help the Sharyn's folks and to spend more time with the family. Bill dropped everything and started working on the farm and the family soon followed when school was out in June. The farm shut down for the winter and Bill needed something to do. He opened a True Value Hardware store in the small town of Havre in 1977. This was his favorite venture. He went deep into plumbing, and added Singer sewing machines, Schwinn bikes, Hurricane wood stoves, Hoover vacuums, satellite systems, furniture and had monkeys entertain. The whole family worked at the store. When he wasn't planning his next entrepreneurial adventure he enjoyed hunting, motorcycles, snowmobiles, horse shows, flying, and spending time at the cabin. This was the good life!

In 1985 Bill noticed a change in Havre's local economy and made the decision to liquidate. The family moved to the Seattle area just ahead of a major recession. Jobless in Seattle, he went into the gas station business with his best friend. This was the first of several business ventures. Nearing retirement he partnered with his son and started a handyman business. He retired in 2006.

The best was yet to come......GRANDKIDS.
Shortly after he retired Desiree and Kevin gave birth to his first grandchild, a namesake grandson, Owen William Otto (Feb 5, 2006). Followed by Desiree and Kevin's second child, a granddaughter, Tatum (Mar 30, 2008). Seven months later, Bill Jr and Stacie gave birth to a second granddaughter, Izabela (Oct 29, 2008). He was the perfect Grandpa! He was always up for fun....He loved playing monster, giving piggy back rides, snowball fights, bike rides, 4 wheeler rides, watching kids sports (soccer, golf, basketball, football), and just being silly. He loved their smiles and big hugs. And even when Alzheimer's had taken away most of his memories, he always had a big smile and a big hug for his grandchildren. He loved them and they loved him.

Bill was risk taker... he loved driving fast or in a storm.
He loved the mountains, a view, and a campfire with marshmallows.
He enjoyed bananas, chocolate, coffee, and ice cream.
He liked to be silly and to make people laugh
He hated to wait "lead, follow, or get out of the way"
He loved to sing and harmonize
He loved the Lord and was ready to be with him

He suffered from Alzheimer's disease, losing his memories but retained his sense of humor and his true love for Sharyn to the end.
We are thankful he did not have to wait any longer.

In lieu of flowers, family wishes donation be made to Crossroads Bible Church, The MAC Project, or Alzheimer's Association.