William Curtis McAllister

William Curtis McAllister passed away on October 29, 2021, in Twin Falls, Idaho at the age of 82. William (Bill) was born on July 28, 1939, in Neligh, Nebraska to Marie Isabel Curtis McAllister and William Walter McAllister. His father’s civil engineering profession moved Bill and his mother out to Washington state in 1940. He grew up all over the state. He was never in the same school two years in a row until high school. His favorite pastimes were hunting and fishing with his father and two younger brothers Richard Lee McAllister and Daniel McAllister (later known as Sally Ray McAllister). Bill was a skilled outdoorsman and loved nature. He was more at home in the woods of the Pacific Northwest than the bustling city of Seattle where he was based in high school. Bill entered the Marine Corps Reserves at Camp Pendleton in 1961 with his friends John Gerry and Bob Hazelbrook. There he gained accolades as an Expert Rifleman. Bill was honorably discharged in 1967 and was always ready if he were to be called for active duty. After junior college, Bill attended Central Washington State College at Ellensburg, WA and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology and a minor in Geology. During his college years he was a competitive swimmer in the freestyle and backstroke and enjoyed being part of the Glee Club singing barbershop quartet style. During the summers of his college years, Bill worked on fishing vessels off the coast of southeast Alaska. After a few years in Eastern Idaho, Bill moved to Twin Falls in 1973. He worked for the Amalgamated Sugar Company for 35years as a Field Contractor and harvest manager. Bill’s “office” was his truck and he enjoyed driving around the Magic Valley connecting with growers and monitoring the piling grounds. Bill loved fishing, hunting, the subject of history, growing fruit trees and driving around the countryside. He could easily have been an ornithologist and loved identifying and describing birds. Duly noted as his daughter’s first word was Bird rather than Mom or Dad. During the 1980s he was an attendee of the First Presbyterian Church in Twin Falls. He sang in the choir, was a pitcher on their softball team, coached softball, and was his son’s Cub & Boy Scout co-leader. After retirement from the Amalgamated Sugar Co. some of Bill’s favorite pastimes became morning exercise with ‘the Guys’ at the local College of Southern Idaho campus (C.S.I.) followed by coffee at McD’s. During the summers if he wasn’t fishing on Salmon Dam you could find him at a C.S.I. Softball game. He also took up Zumba and raved about how fun it was to exercise to the music. Bill also enjoyed keeping in touch with his brother Richard by writing weekly letters. He was an avid supporter of the U.S. Postal Service. After Richard’s passing in 2020 Bill missed this connection greatly. Bill McAllister was a minimalist, unabashedly his authentic self, very proud of his Scots-Irish heritage, loved his independence and always carried a song in his heart. He was preceded in death by his father, mother, and two brothers. He is survived by his son Mark David McAllister, his daughter Molly Jayne McAllister, his nephew Matthew McAllister, and nieces Mary Schreiner, Martha McAllister, and Melissa McAllister. A Celebration of Life Graveside Service will be held on Monday November 22, 2021, at 11:00 A.M. at the Rock Creek Veteran’s Cemetery in Hansen. Those who wish may share memories and condolences on his memorial page at www.magicvalleyfuneralhome.com.