William Ernst

William James Ernst of Yakima, WA, age 63 passed away June 10, 2015 at the Cottage in the Meadow surrounded by his loving wife and two daughters. William was born to George and Anna Mae Ernst on August 25, 1951 in Wenatchee, Washington. He was raised and educated in Wenatchee, graduating from Wenatchee High School in 1969. He then went on to study at Central Washington University with the dream of being a music teacher. He played the alto and tenor sax, clarinet, piano, and he liked to sing. Only two years into his studies his father needed help with the family business Blue Ribbon Meat Co. in Wenatchee. When they sold the business William went on to do various other jobs like selling hearing aids, laying cable for cable TV, and selling office supplies. On August 11, 1979 he married Jana Lynn Weitz. They would have celebrated their 36th wedding anniversary this year. They moved to Yakima in 1983 where on August 6th their daughter Heather was born and William took a job working for the Federal Government as a USDA meat inspector at Washington Beef in Toppenish, WA. After ten years he wanted to try his hand at selling cars... where he worked for Toyota of Yakima. His one dream was he wanted to have his own business so he started Yakima Cab Co. which he did for eight years. He then got the opportunity to work for Olympic Security at the Yakima airport, which then became the TSA after 9/11; he had the job of screener. Due to a previous heart ailment he had to take a disability retirement in January 2011. It was then in February of 2012 he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer which after three years then moved to the liver. Through his lifetime even from birth he has been faced with many medical operations, procedures and broken bones. It never seemed to stop him from doing any and every sport he could do from golfing to bowling to skiing. His favorite hobbies were going camping in our RV, geocaching, going on various cruises to Mexico, Alaska, and the Caribbean, watching NASCAR and enjoying the Seahawks play every Sunday. He was a member of the Yakima Elks Club, the Yakima Genealogy Society and volunteered for the Yakima Greenway. He will be missed by all those who knew and loved him and all the long stories he could tell... and they were long! William is survived by his wife Jana Ernst, daughters Heather Starkey (Patrick) of Lacey, WA, Angela Ernst of Wenatchee, WA, brothers Don Ernst of Tillamook, OR, Doug Ernst of Black Diamond, WA, and four grandchildren, Tyler Ernst, Corbin Steinbach, Cameron Steinbach, and Sabina Starkey, as well as many nieces and nephews, and his favorite dog Putz. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Diane. The Celebration of Life will be held June 16, 2015 at 11:30 am at the Valley Hills Funeral Home (2600 Business Lane, Yakima, WA). Memorials may be made to Yakima Memorial Hospice (Cottage in the Meadow), c/o Valley Hills Funeral Home, Yakima, WA 98901. A very special thank you to all of the doctors and nurses who cared for my husband through the last three years... You are all special and now a part of our lives. Valley Hills Funeral Home is caring for the family. Online condolences may be left at www.valleyhillsfh.com. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of William Ernst, please visit our flower store.