Obituary of William Edward Grace

William Edward "Bill" Grace A private family service will be held for William Edward Grace who passed away in Santa Cruz on June 14, 2011 at the age of 89. Bill was a lifelong resident of Santa Cruz. He attended Gault Elementary, Branciforte Junior High and Santa Cruz High Schools. He was one of the founding members of the Santa Cruz Surf Club and was well known for the surf boards he shaped over the years for himself and friends. His name is inscribed on the surf statue near the lighthouse on West Cliff Drive. He claimed that the surfer was modeled after him. He loved being by the ocean, watching the surf and surfers. He and his wife often worked with some of the other "old timers" staffing the Santa Cruz Surf Museum at the lighthouse. Bill served in the Merchant Marines during WWII, and was a retired firefighter for the city of Santa Cruz. On his days off from the fire department, Bill worked as a carpenter. He designed, drew the plans and blueprints for, and built (by himself) many of his family's homes. Bill was a true artist and worked in a lot of different mediums. He painted sailing ships, sea scenes and portraits and really excelled working with wood and brass. He made many replica boats, cannons and guns. If it could be made from wood, Bill could make it. If he needed a tool for a project and didn't have it, he made it. He is survived by his four children - Jill Cramer and her husband Gary, Gwynn Thoma and her husband Lee, Bonnie Palmer and Lance Grace; four grandchildren - Christi Carney, Missy Hajduk, Justin Thoma and Phoebe Grace and three great grandchildren - Trevor, Hannah and Grace. Bill was preceded in death by his wife Barbara and son-in-law Steve Palmer. The family wishes to thank the caregivers at Chanticleer Home Two for the loving and attentive care they gave Bill while he resided there during the last few months. Memorial contributions may be made to the Santa Cruz Surf Museum or a charity of your choice. Arrangements are under the direction of Benito & Azzaro Pacific Gardens Chapel.