Bill Siemer loved the outdoors.
William Earl Siemer: October 16, 1944 to November 13, 2016.
Poet, naturalist, photographer, writer, journalist, attorney, peace activist, actor, husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle were among the roles that engaged and endeared William “Bill” Siemer to his family and community. His family shared him with an ever-growing number of friends, who typically were inserted into the family circle.
Born in Santa Rosa, California, Bill, at age 9, moved with his parents, Harold and June Siemer and younger sister Barbara, to a ranch in Lassen County, between Adin and Bieber. The ranch provided Bill with a lifelong love of the outdoors, an ability to rise before the sun and cherish the quiet moments in nature.
Bill also began to form his poet’s sensitivity to the world around him. Before the family left the ranch, upon Bill’s graduation from Big Valley High School, Bill’s use of outrageous sense of humor and athletic determination were fully formed.
Bill attended Shasta Junior College and went on to Chico State College. His education was interrupted when he began to question the Vietnam War and decided to join the Army to find out what was really happening—using his journalist’s instincts. He served in US Army from 1966 through 1969 stationed in Vietnam as a Special Forces Medic. It was this experience that led him to be a peace activist for the rest of his life.
Upon his return from the war, he continued his studies at Sacramento State College, graduating from Lincoln Law School. Before practicing law, Bill worked as a journalist for different law periodicals. He taught business law at Shasta College and volunteered in organizations that served youth and people living with mental illness.
Bill Siemer, attorney
He practiced law in Sacramento and Redding from 1980 until 2003, when he was diagnosed with acute leukemia. In retirement, Bill was challenged by various medical conditions. But no matter the amount of struggle, Bill remained determined to contribute through his writing, acting and photography. Bill provided comfort to friends, as well as receiving support and love from his vast community of friends. His ever-present ability to find humor, cheerfulness and strength of will gave all of us who knew him a loving determination to follow his lead.
Bill is survived by his wife, Francesca of Redding; daughters, Echo (Lake) Wodarczyk (Rick) of Belmont, California; and Mariah (Adamek) Raz (Jason) of Yoakum, Texas; and son Gabriel Adamek (Jodi), Shiner, Texas. Sister Barbara (Siemer) Goldfeder (Eric) of Portland, Oregon and brother Richard Siemer (Connie) of Victor, Montana. He will be missed by his wife’s family, his dear friend, Elsie Ritchie and cherished grandchildren: AJ, Jayden, Lily, Luke, Micah, Nick, Reese, Samantha, Tatum, Zack, and Zoe. His loving and giving friends will miss him also.
Bill loved the outdoors and would appreciate your loving contributions to the Shasta Land Trust, The Lassen Foundation, Friends of Whiskeytown, or the Nature Conservancy.
Memorial Services for Bill Siemer will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Thur., Nov. 17 at the Center for Spiritual Living, 1905 Hartnell Avenue, Redding.
