William Duryee

William Keeler Duryee passed away Friday, May 25, 2012 in Great Falls with family members by his side.He had recently been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.Cremation has taken place with Bills ashes to be buried at Highland Cemetery on Friday, June 1, 2012 at 1:00 p.m.A memorial service and reception will follow at First Presbyterian Church at 2:00 p.m. Schnider Funeral Home is handling arrangements.William Bill was born in Northhampton, Massachusetts on January 17, 1937 to Harry and Catharine Keeler Duryee.One of four children, he is survived by his sister Margaret Park of Hopewell Junction, New York and his brother Charles Duryee of Northhampton.His sister Lydia Dadoly preceded his passing.Bill graduated from Easthampton High School and Holyoke Community College.He later went on to the University of Wyoming at Laramie where he received degrees in secondary education and civil engineering.It was in Laramie that he met his wife, Mary Jane Titchener.They were married February 9, 1963 in Torrington.Shortly after their marriage, Bill and Mary Jane moved to Oregon, where Bill began his 35-year career with the U.S. Forest Service as an engineer on a remote ranger station on the Mount Hood National Forest.They welcomed their first child, Michael, in 1964.Yearning for a shorter drive to the grocery store, Bill and Mary Jane moved to Portland in 1965, where daughter Jennifer was soon born.The family then moved to Bellingham, Washington, where Bill worked for the Mount Baker National Forest.Two more children, Jill and Daniel, completed the family.In 1971 Bill accepted a transfer to the Umatilla National Forest and the family was once again on the move, this time to Pendleton, Oregon.Home, however, would be Great Falls, where the family settled in 1978 when Bill became the Forest Engineer for the Lewis and Clark National Forest.When he retired in 1998, Bill was the Forest Engineer for both the Lewis and Clark and the Helena National Forests.Bill thoroughly enjoyed retirement, spending many days fishing at Holter Lake or golfing with buddies.He shot skeet for many years at the Sun River Skeet Club.He also had an affinity for American history and liked to travel.A true engineer, he was interested in how things worked.Over the years, his children frequently relied on him to fix an ailing vehicle or to pitch in on a remodeling project.He was always willing to help out.Bill left many gifts to his family, including the restoration of a collection of photographs taken by his father in the 1930s and 40s.Those photos will be cherished for generations to come.Bill is survived by his wife Mary Jane; his son Michael Duryee of Great Falls; his daughter Jennifer Axelrod and Nelson Axelrod of Hull, MA, his daughter Jill Seigmund and Pete Seigmund of Whitefish; and his son Daniel Duryee and Becky McClintock of Pablo.He also leaves behind four grandchildren who adored him, Sophia, Ben, Henry, and Walt.In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Rescue Mission, P.O. Box 129, Great Falls, MT, 59403 or to the American Cancer Society.