Gilham, William F. 85 April 07, 1926 Nov. 21, 2011 William F. “Bill” Gilham succumbed to cancer on Nov. 21, 2011, at the Vancouver, Wash., Veterans Hospital. He was a longtime supporter and co-founder of the city of Durham, later serving as planning commissioner, city council member and mayor. A champion of the little guy, he had a ready wit and a gift for story telling that he used to support those causes that meant so much to him: Tualatin River Keepers, Tualatin Historical Society and his close and extended family. He was an avid race fan and historical car buff. He passed his love of boating on to his sons and enjoyed sailing on the Columbia River. For the majority of his 85 years, with the exception of a World War II enlistment in the U.S. Marine Corps, he resided on the family property at the end of Ellman Lane. He is survived by his ex-wife, Anita Gilham; sons, Bryan and Mark; daughter, Alison; daughter-in-law, Margo; and granddaughter, Amanda. He is predeceased by his son, Jeffrey. Memorial services are planned for Saturday, Dec. 10, 2011, at the Tualatin Heritage Center, 8700 SW Sweek Drive, Tualatin, OR from 2 to 5 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made toTualatinriverkeepers.org or Semperfifund.org.
Published in The Oregonian on November 29, 2011