William James Jameson, Jr. passed away January 2, 2021. He was born June 8, 1930 in Billings, Montana. He was raised during the Depression by extraordinary parents who taught him the value of hard work, integrity, education, and honor. He learned all these lessons well!
Bill spent his childhood years in Billings and from the time he was seven he spent summers at his family’s beloved cabin in the mountains near Red Lodge. He loved hiking, riding horses, target shooting, and hunting.
Bill graduated in 1952 from Montana State University with a degree in Mathematics. He always liked to point out that Montana State was in Missoula at that time. He was commissioned as Lieutenant in the US Air Force after graduation. Shortly before reporting to the Air Force, Bill spent three days at Canyon Lodge in Yellowstone with his parents. It was there he met his future wife, Sue Randall. They married in 1953. During his military career, Bill received his Masters Degree in Physics at the University of Texas. One of Bill’s proudest achievements in the Air Force was holding the position of Nuclear Research Officer. In this position he worked on the testing of a hydrogen bomb at theEnewetak Atoll. His calculations made it possible to test this powerful weapon safely.
In 1962 Bill earned his PHD in Mathematics at Iowa State University. Bill and Sue settled in Sue’s hometown of Cedar Rapids and soon after their two daughters, Elizabeth and Rebecca, came along. Bill and Sue raised their daughters with the same values Bill had learned as a child. In 1987, Bill changed professions. He went from being a communications engineer to becoming an Electrical Engineering professor at Montana State University in Bozeman. He taught there until his retirement in 2001. Bill loved his students and many of them became friends.
Throughout his life, Bill dedicated his time to service organizations. He was just short of being a 56-year member of Kiwanis. After retirement, he continued to volunteer countless hours with Big Brothers and Sisters, Kiwanis, his church, the American Legion, and Eagle Mount. Bill was a lifetime member of IEEE and received the Region 6 Leadership Award in 2009!
Bill’s greatest love was for his dogs. He had at least one dog as a pet in every part of his life. He carried dog treats everywhere he went in his later years. The dogs at Bozeman Lodge where he lived the last few years were his best buddies! Bill never forgot about his first dog, Carmichael. He would recount the story often of how this Cocker Spaniel saved his life by alerting his mother that he was very sick. Bill had contracted Scarlet Fever.
Bill is survived by his daughters, Elizabeth Jameson and Rebecca (Mark Elings) Jameson; his nieces, Kathy and Liz Honaker; his nephews, James, Bill (Marcia), and Bob Honaker, and John (Karen) Randall; and his cousin, Sara Lahey. He also leaves behind his dog, Storm.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Judge William J. Jameson, Sr. and Mildred Jameson; his sister, Mary Honaker; his cousin, Marylore Wilson; and his wife, Sue.
A memorial and burial service will be held this summer in Bozeman, with date and place to be announced.
Memorials can be made to Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter in Bozeman.
Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com [dokkennelson.com]
