Bill Rea died at home in North Albany just 32 days after being diagnosed with pancreatic and liver cancers. He was 70 years old. Bill was born to Robert Rea and Grace Elizabeth (Roberts) in Ipswich, South Dakota. He was raised in Bend, Oregon and graduated from Bend High School in 1973. Bill attended Central Oregon Community College before enlisting in the U.S. Air Force where he served in Illinois, Texas, and Great Britain as a Flight Simulator Specialist from 1975-1979. He moved to Corvallis to attend Oregon State University and began working at Videx, Inc. He was performing in community theater productions when he met his future wife, Elaine Chambers, at Albany Civic Theater in 1987. Together they moved to Beaverton in 1988 when Bill accepted a position with Integrated Measurements Systems in Technical Publications. He was hired by Intel Corporation in Hillsboro in 1993 and after 23 years, retired in 2016 as a Technical Product Manager. He held a Bachelor of Science in Business and Leadership from Marylhurst University. Bill and Elaine were married on July 22, 1989 in Corvallis. Together they traveled the world including adventures to Australia and New Zealand, the Caribbean, and Europe. They were season ticket holders for Hillsboro Hops baseball and spent several winters in Scottsdale, Arizona watching Spring Training games. Bill and Elaine were on a quest to visit all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums. By the time of his death, Bill had made it to 19. The couple enjoyed spending time at the family cabin in Camp Sherman. Bill held a Federal Aviation Administration private glider pilot’s license and an American Sailing Association certification. Members of Valley Community Presbyterian Church for 29 years, Bill served on the Music and Worship Committee and regularly ran the sound board and ushered. He was a long-time computer hobbyist and the family’s resident IT guy. In retirement, Bill began volunteering at OMSI and loved interacting with school kids while he prepared a triceratops fossil for study in the Paleontology Lab. Bill and Elaine were foster parents to two boys through Oregon Youth Authority. Bill played guitar and banjo, and loved to draw and read. He was always selfless and kind, and will be missed by his family and friends very much. Bill is survived by his wife, Elaine of North Albany, daughters Harper Sherman (Aaron) of Tacoma and Holly of Beaverton, grandsons Holden and Arlo Sherman, brothers Glen (Carol) of Albany and Kevin (Barbara) of Bend, and seven nieces and nephews. The family will host a celebration of his life on April 11, 2026 at Valley Community Presbyterian Church. Donations to honor Bill may be made to the Memorial Gifts Fund at Valley Community Presbyterian or to the Earth Sciences Lab at Oregon Museum of Science and Industry.