July 27, 1912 - January 10, 1993
William Michie Jaques was born in San Francisco, California, but the family home was in nearby Daly City.
His parents, William Anthony Jaques (b 2/22/1882 in Scunthorpe, England, d 7/19/1949) and Mary Young Michie Jaques (b 4/16/1876 in Alva, Scotland, d 10/19/1944), were married May 11, 1911 in San Francisco.
Three years after Bill’s birth, a brother, Alexander, was born, but he died from diphtheria when he was about 3. In reality, Bill had two sets of parents as his mother’s sister Jenny and husband Bob Turner lived next door. They had no children and doted on Bill, but obviously they handled him well, as he was not a spoiled child. Uncle Bob was the one who had a steady job through the depression and saw to it that Bill had what he needed for school in terms of books and clothing.
When Bill was a youngster, Uncle Bob would help him make kites which they flew on the Daly City hills. In later years Bill enjoyed this hobby with his own children and grandchildren.
After he graduated from U.C., Berkeley in 1936 Bill took a job as a chemist in a cement plant in Merced. Through her brother, Lumie, who also worked at the cement plant, Vlasta met Bill in 1937, and they were married September 2, 1940 after Vlasta’s graduation from U.C., Berkeley, and after she worked a year in the Welfare Department in Merced.
Bill was a very outgoing person who liked people and who made friends easily. He was a lot of fun and was very well liked by most people he met. Bill enjoyed golf, which he learned as a caddy in high school. He played throughout his life and was especially proud of his two hole-in-one shots.
During World War II Bill served as an officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve where his assignments included the handling of classified documents. His tour of duty took him to Nicaragua, Panama and the Philippines. After the war he worked as a chemist for Pabco Products, a manufacturer of paint and linoleum products. In 1950, Pabco transferred him to New Jersey to become a floor supervisor of linoleum in a new facility. He soon realized shift work was not for him so he became a purchasing agent.
When Pabco closed the plant, he was sent back to California and later found his niche when he transferred to a selling job in Southern California. At first he sold plaster for construction, but when gypsum drywall took over, he sold that just as easily. He enjoyed entertaining his customers on the golf course, and almost always exceeded his sales quota.
When he retired in 1977, moving to the Villages in San Jose was an easy choice as friends lived there, the Villages had a good golf course, and it was an easy drive to see Beverly and family who lived an hour’s drive away.
