Obituary of William Ronald Derr

William Ronald Derr (69) was born at home in Falmouth, Pennsylvania on September 25, 1946 to Minnie (Runkle) and William Derr and grew up in Falmouth where he enjoyed all kinds of outdoor activities including fishing the Susquehanna River and hunting. Bill worked several jobs including farm work, auto jobs and even as a Page in the Harrisburg Capitol before he met Diane Konecny in May of 1963. In August 1965 Bill and Diane were married in Middletown, Pennsylvania where their first child B.J. was born. In 1969 Bill moved his family to San Diego, California and in 1971 welcomed the birth of their first daughter Vanessa. He enrolled at Universal Technical Institute in the fall of 1972. After graduating he returned to San Diego, California where he worked as a mechanic. In 1974 Bill and Diane welcomed the birth of their third child Novelle. During the late 1970s and early 1980s Bill and his family moved around to several places including Republic, Washington before eventually settling in Saint Maries where Bill worked for Chase Chevrolet before opening his own business, "Derr's Honest Engine". Bill started working for the Saint Maries River Railroad in July 1990 until he retired in 2013. Whether he was casting bullets, target practicing or dressing up for the next Cowboy Action Competition Bill loved everything to do with guns and shooting sports. He was a lifelong member of the N.R.A. His other passions included fishing, hunting, boating, cooking and gardening. Bill was preceded in death by his parents William and Minnie Derr of Pennsylvania and his brothers-in law Robert Campbell Sr., Howard "Skip" Rehrer, Ben Hanas and Conrad Konecny. Bill is survived by his wife Diane; his son William John (BJ) and daughter-in-law Tami Derr of Saint Maries, his daughter Vanessa and son-in-law Joe Ebert of Coeur d'Alene, his daughter Novelle and son-in-law Christopher Best of Saint Maries. He is also survived by his sisters Joanne Campbell and Alma Rehrer of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, his brother Kenneth Schaffer of York County, Pennsylvania, sister-in-law Lana Hanas of Nevada and three grandchildren. There will be a potluck gathering to celebrate Bill's life at the Eagles in Saint Maries at 1 p.m. on Saturday February 20th.