William "Bill" K. Bulicek of Lakeside, Arizona passed away at home on August 20, 2018 at the age of 74. Bill was born in Berwyn, Illinois on August 11, 1944 to William and Mae Bulick, the second of three children. He moved to Phoenix, Arizona as a small child.
Bill started visiting Pinetop in the summers with his parents, eventually holding part time jobs as a teenager. He was active in his FFA chapter by working on the school farm and raising beef cattle. He joined the Army National Guard in 1966. Bill met the love of his life, Patti in Phoenix, Arizona and they raised 2 sons and 1 daughter.
Bill worked at the sawmill in McNary, Arizona as a saw filer. Later he started working construction for John Marble, Sr. building custom homes in the Pinetop Country Club. On the side he sold firewood in the winters and opened his own saw filing shop, Wild Bills. He also became a volunteer fire fighter for the Pinetop Fire Department. In the mid 70's, he and his wife started their own successful excavation and culvert sales business, Pacific Ponderosa. If you have a culvert in your driveway, there's a good chance it came form Bill and Patti. Digging in the dirt was his passion and he took a lot of pride in his work. He taught his love of construction and shared his skills with his sons early on, working side-by-side with Matt for over 30 years.
Bill had a hard exterior and a work ethic like no other. He wanted to help others where he could whether it be snowplowing a driveway, fixing a water leak, or donating to local organizations like the Rotary Club or Humane Society. When he did take a break from work, he loved to fish and hunt. In his later years he loved working in the yard and spending days on the porch with his Labrador, Mort.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Patricia Bulicek; son, Kenneth Bulicek; parents, William and Mae Bulicek; brother, Wayne Bulicek and sister, Carol Bulicek. He is survived by his son, Matt (Dianne) and daughter, Molly Pitts (Jim);grandsons Colby and Caden Pitts; sister-in-law, Ramonda (Tony); and brother-in-law, Ron.
The family will be having a private graveside service at the Lakeside Cemetery with Father Bill Day on Saturday,
September 1, 2018, followed by a Celebration of Life at the El Rancho at 12:30 pm.
Anyone wishing to offer a remembrance for Bill may do so by making a donation in Bill's name to the Humane Society of the White Mountains.
Bill's parting words "Keep it out of the sand."