William Hand
May 23, 1926 - February 22, 2014
Obituary
May 23, 1926 – February 22, 2014
Born in Newcastle-u-Lyme, Staffordshire, England to Ralph and Lillian Hand. Passed away in Seattle, WA. Survived by his wife of 64 years, Anne P. (Nancy) Hand, daughters Barbara Sando and Christine Plihal, son-in-law Jim Plihal, grandchildren Jordan Plihal and Jacob Plihal, and extended family members and friends in the USA and England. Bill attended the Orme School and Stoke Technical College in Staffordshire. He began his career as a apprentice machinist at Robinson’s and later as a draftsman at English Electric. Bill and Nancy were married on Christmas Eve 1949, and emigrated to Seattle in 1954. Bill had a long career at Henry Disston & Sons in Seattle, where he was Chief Products Engineer designing specialized cutterheads for the timber and wood products industry. After Disston was sold in 1983, and given that he was an expert in his field, Bill was retained as a consultant by Michigan Knife Co. He also did small jobs for others, using his metal working lathe in his shop at home, first in West Seattle and later in Burien. After Bill retired in 1989, he and Nancy enjoyed working in their beautiful yard and traveling to Harrison Hot Springs. Bill was a devoted husband, and a loving father and grandfather. He will be missed by many.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Northwest Harvest, 711 Cherry St, Seattle, WA 98104.
My Uncle Bill was an absolute gentleman. A lovely sense of humour and a very nice man. He will be sadly missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.
Uncle Bill was such a large part of my life. He was a gentleman, and a gentle man. His love for his family was always evident. He had a quick, quiet wit and infectious laugh, and was always interested in what others were involved in. I can still hear his voice in my head when I think of him. The world has lost a good man.
Uncle Bill was a kind and gentle man with a warm sense of humor. He was a brilliant engineer and skilled craftsman. When I (Jim) was 7, he was the first man I knew who had a mustache. Our world was a better place because of him. He will be missed.
My (our) wonderful gentleman Uncle Bill. Such wonderful memories of an Uncle who was in my younger years a great influence. He was always a warm and attentive Uncle who treated myself and my sisters as true family. My cousin Chris reminded me of when I was little (5or6) how I would ride my bike along side the car as they left the house and race him as he drove. He always let me win. We golfed together with Dad, watched soccer games, camped………….great memories. I will miss him and I am praying that he meets up with dad soon. They have a Tee Time I’m pretty sure. Love you Uncle Bill.
My prayer goes out to the Hand family, I would like to express my condolence at this time to your family. The Bible is a great source of encouragement at times like this, a comforting thought is at Revelation 21:4 “And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away”
What a handsome man! Very nice picture. Jim and I send our love and prayers to you and your family. He will always be there for you in your heart.
Bill was life long friend of my late Father, Ken Capey. They met whilst working at Robinson’s where they both served their apprenticeships in their early teens. Both becoming engineers, they later worked together at English Electric. I only spoke to Bill before Christmas just gone, of their happy times together rambling in North Wales and the Peak District and also of happy times watching Stoke City play football at the old Victoria Ground, Stoke-on-Trent. In fact only the evening before, Bill told me he had watched Stoke play Manchester United at home, on the TV. Unfortunately Stoke had lost the game!
Bill and Nancy visited my parents on a trip back to the UK some years back. My father took them for a meal at a local pub, ‘The Hand & Trumpet’. The name amused Bill, being a ‘Hand’ himself. My Father always spoke fondly of Bill and also of Nancy. They always kept touch by exchanging letters every Christmas since Bill and Nancy emigrated.
My Mother wishes to express her sincere condolences to Nancy and the family. We are thinking of you all at this difficult time. With love Jean Capey, Jackie and Family.
What a handsome father you have…and such an interesting life. My sympathy to you and your family, Barbara. I am sure you share many wonderful memories of your dad.
Such a wonderful picture, it shows the gentleman, and you can see the humorous glint in his eyes. I had only a little time spent with Bill at gatherings during the last few rocky years, but one could easily see how much his family meant to him. I was also struck by just how observant he was of life around him; both at home and in assisted living he was interested in how things were done and who was doing them. Wish we could have had more time.