William Findley Obituary

William Byron Findley William Byron Findley was born January 27, 1935 in Visalia, CA to parents Byron Frederick and Dorothy Marie Williams Findley. Bill passed away at home in Narrabri, NSW Australia on May 22, 2014 at age 79. He was buried at the home place private cemetery at Drildool Station, Wee Waa, NSW Australia on May 28, 2014 with more than 350 family, friends and neighbors attending. A celebration of Bill's life was held at the Burren Junction hotel, all remembering the good times with the "Yank" from Central California as a premier leader of the Namoi Valley cotton growers. Bill is survived by his wife Carolyn Lehman Findley and the farming families he left behind, son Robin Findley (Yvonne), daughters Carrie (Alistair) Haire and Natalie (Adrian) Schwager and his sister-in-law Judy Lehman Hanes all of Australia. "The funeral service began with the playing of the song Tulare Dust. His son Robin did the eulogy; his granddaughter Angie spoke on behalf of his grandchildren and his daughter Carrie wrote and recited a poem in tribute to her father. His wife Carolyn requested that Bill's casket be covered in a blanket of red roses. We had a large basket of cotton bolls, fresh from the paddock. People filed past Bill's casket and placed cotton on the rose casket blanket. The cotton made lovely white stripes down the centre of the casket. They played the song 'The yellow rose of Texas'. His son Robin threw a baseball into the grave as a fitting tribute to a great man of Sports." Bill was known for the happy smile on his face and he loved to whistle while he worked. He and Carolyn were very generous in the founding of the Wee Waa Museum, the Wee Waa Basketball Field House and other donations to worthy local causes. Bill was preceded in death by his parents Byron and Marie Findley, sisters Michelle (Sally) Yahnian and Jeanne Marie Vanoni. Surviving is his younger brother Richard Findley and brother-in-law Dodd Yahnian of Visalia, CA. He also leaves 4 grandsons (Luke, Nick, Joshua, Joseph) and 2 granddaughters (Angela, Eloise) in Australia and many nieces and nephews in California and Australia. Bill attended Liberty Elementary School and was a graduate of Visalia High School class of 1952. He was active in FFA and played 4 years of football, basketball and baseball. Bill met his future wife Carolyn while attending COS in Visalia, CA. They transferred to Fresno State College where he majored in Agriculture and started growing cotton on the school farm and also farming with his father Byron east of Mooney's Grove and at his grandfather Ivan Findley's farm. While at COS, Bill was chosen Giant of the year in 1954, an excellent basketball and baseball player. Bill toured Canada with Coach Roy Taylor playing baseball, the sport he loved. While attending Fresno State College, Bill and Carolyn were married September 10, 1955 in McFarland, CA and had celebrated 58 loving years together in 2013. Bill's great-great grandfather John Findley and wife Sara Masters Findley came to Central California by Wagon Train from Indiana in 1865, buying 700 acres of ranching property from Andrew Drumm, now known as Drum Valley, east of Orosi, CA for $1100.00. John and Sara raised 7 children on the property and one of the children was William J Findley, Bill's great grandfather, also a rancher. It was destiny for Bill to become a farmer as 4 generations before him had done. Bill and Carolyn owned farms in Visalia, Pixley and Shafter before immigrating to Australia to teach the Australians the best way to grow cotton. They worked hard, bought several properties and prospered with the new cotton industry around Wee Waa and Narrabri, NSW Australia. They have 2 grandsons, Luke Findley and Nick Schwager actively growing cotton in Wee Waa, closely taught and watched by Bill. So the legend will continue long after Bill has gone.