William Frederick Chamlee

William Frederick Chamlee (82), died of cancer on May 8, 2021 at the home he built in Toro Canyon, Santa Barbara, CA. He is preceded in death by his parents Harold (Duke) Chamlee and Alice Reily Chamlee Lape, his older sister Patricia, who died at birth, and his wife of 50 years Adelle Newton Chamlee. Bill was born in Eureka, CA in 1938, where his parents worked during WWII. There he learned to fish and shoot and later, living on a sheep ranch in Ukiah, he learned to hunt deer. When his parents returned to Santa Barbara, he learned to love the mountains and the river while they lived in Paradise Camp (where he would later raise his own children.) His hunting and trapping skills through the years provided food for his family and gave him time to be in nature. While living in Santa Barbara, Bill attended Franklin School, SB Junior High, and graduated from Santa Barbara High School in 1956. He was part of Boy Scout troop 14, attending the 1953 BSA Jamboree in Irvine. During high school, he was a member of the Santa Barbara Blue Fins Diving Club, before wetsuits were invented, and enlisted in the Navy through the Naval Reserves program. He also worked in his grandfather’s machine shop C.D. Reily Machine Works. After high school, Bill was called up to active duty, stationed at the U. S. Naval Station Subic Bay in the Philippines. His wife Adelle joined him after the birth of their first son, David and their second son Robert was born there. After the Navy, Bill worked at CD Reily Machine Works on Salsipuedes Street for five years as a welder with Union 509. He then worked for 20 years in local 433 as a field Ironworker doing structural steel, welding, ornamental iron and boiler work. He worked on buildings throughout Santa Barbara, including the UCSB Storke Tower and Cottage Hospital. On the side, he had a business as a gunsmith. In 1981, Bill started his own business: Certified Welding Services, later named CWS Inspections, offering certified inspection for welding, structural steel, reinforced concrete, post tensioned concrete and structural masonry in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties. Though Bill retired in 2000, he continued to work part time through 2020. In the 1970’s Bill built his own Spanish style home in Toro Canyon among the oak trees. He loved improving his property with tropical gardens, iron railings, concrete pathways, a fishpond, swings, rock walls, tortoise pens, and his eagle-topped flagpole. He always had a project. He planted palm trees wherever he lived. Many are now over 100’ tall. Over his 82 years, Bill had a wide variety of pets besides cats and dogs, including Nubian goats and peacocks, and he always had an aquarium of fish. He was a member and past president of the California Tortoise and Turtle Club. As a Boy Scout and Explorer leader in Santa Ynez, Santa Barbara, and Carpinteria, Bill took the boys on camping adventures, including a boat trip to the islands in a Viking ship, snorkeling in Baja California, and a trip to Chain Lakes in 1977 where he hiked in on crutches! In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Bill served as a youth leader, Primary teacher, a Los Angeles Temple ordinance worker, and served in the Carpinteria Ward bishopric for five years. With his wife Adelle, he served a Spanish- speaking mission in Concepción, Chile 1989-1991, and a mission reconstructing the Santiago Chile LDS Temple 2004-2005. Bill enjoyed meeting new people and welcomed everyone to his house, including foreign exchange students, and friends from many backgrounds and cultures. He loved sharing meals and stories of his life experiences along with his testimony of Jesus Christ. He is survived by his wife of five years, Ninfa Mirambel Chamlee, who lovingly cared for him to the end, his sisters Virginia Cooper (Allen) and Kathleen Ealand-Williams (Norman) of Santa Ynez, his children David (Maria), Bob (Danielle), Patty (Karl) Buchmiller, Dan (Laurie) all from Santa Barbara County, and April (Bob) Martell from Portland, Oregon. Bill was very proud of his 21 grandchildren and 32 Great –grandchildren (with 2 on the way). Chamlee Grandchildren: David (Catarina), Peter; Shawn, Sequoia; Daniel (Stephanie), Jamie (Jeremy) Lehl,Thomas (Heather), Stacy (Larry) Jacobsen, Whitney (Nathan) Saito, Valerie, Buchmiller grandchildren: Ben (Dana), Sam (Lizzie), Katie (Kenneth) Dunn, Michael (Karen), Linda (Craig) Nichols, Brian, Naomi; Martell grandchildren: Cathrine (Austin) Vach, Annette (Mark) Thueson, Charlotte (Joseph) Andrews, Thomas (Grace) Martell To view the funeral service via Zoom, contact a family member for the link and password. The funeral will be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1501 Linden Ave, Carpinteria, CA on May 20, 2021 from 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. with visitation 10:30- 11:15 a.m. William will be interred at the Santa Barbara Cemetery as were three generations of his ancestors before him.

William Frederick Chamlee

July 22, 1938 - May 8, 2021