William Keith Mackey

William Keith Mackey (Bill) passed away peacefully on Friday morning June 16, 2023 in Ivins Utah, at the age of 92.  Bill was born November 27, 1930 to Beryl Margarette and Thomas Albert Mackey in Wilsonville Nebraska.  In the mid-1930’s his family settled near Grand Junction Colorado where both his mother and his father taught grade school (and were Bill’s and his brothers’ teachers) in a three-room schoolhouse.  He and his brothers spent their summers fishing on the Grand Mesa and doing their best to outrun the wild bison that roamed the Colorado National Monument.

During WWII the Mackey family moved to Utah so that Bill’s father could work on Hill Airforce Base.  Bill met his first wife Joan at the Clearfield Community Church and Davis High School where he graduated in 1948. Bill went to University of Utah for a couple of years before being drafted into the US Army for 2 years and stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso Texas.  He then returned to the University of Utah to graduate with an education degree in 1955.  Bill and Joan married in 1956 and moved shortly after to Cloverdale California in the fall of 1956.

Bill’s Uncle Jim Mackey was already living in Cloverdale and instrumental in helping the newly married couple to settle there.  Bill wore several hats at first:  8th grade teacher, after school basketball coach, bus driver to and from school, and weekend winery employee hosting wine tasting.

The young couple (now a family of 3 with their first child) moved to Newark California in 1960 so that Bill could earn his Master’s Degree in Education from San Jose State University while teaching 6^th grade.   Upon graduation, Bill secured his first administrative position as a Principal for the Lodi School District and moved to Lodi in 1964 (now a family of 4 with the birth of their second child). A few years later while continuing to pursue his career in education administration Bill moved his family (now a family of 5 with the birth of their third child) to a ranch in Acampo where Bill loved to farm and cultivate an orchard of almond and walnut trees.   Carrying on the traditions of his own Father and Mother in addition to moving his family on a farm, Bill and his family spent countless very happy summer hours camping, exploring and fishing the streams and lakes of the Sierras.

After a career of over 30 years, he retired from the Lodi Unified School District and moved to Pine Grove California to mentor new teachers studying at Stanislaus State University for several more years.  With the additional time from retirement, Bill was able to further pursue his interests in woodworking, playing guitar and singing, reading (history and spy thrillers), fishing, hunting, and travel.  He loved car trips to visit family, old and new fishing spots and traveling to historical places that he’d read about.   He produced many beautiful pieces demonstrating his talent in woodworking that combined his interests including fishing net frames, knife handles, gun stocks and small sculptures of fish and birds that were made from repurposed walnut trees from his beloved ranch.  

At his Davis High School 50-year reunion, Bill became reacquainted with classmate Genevieve Greene, and they married in 2001.  They settled in Logandale Nevada where they built a home on two acres and lived there for the last 22 years.  Bill also constructed a woodworking shop to continue working on his projects that now also included repairing and refinishing furniture that were among the treasures that he and Genevieve found in local yard sales.

He is predeceased by his second wife Genevieve and brothers Tom and Leon.  

He is survived by his first wife Joan; their children David (Elizabeth) Mackey Martinez CA; Dana (Deron) Allred Loomis CA; and Peter Mackey Lodi, CA; 7 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.  

He is also survived by Genevieve’s children Bob (Anne) Green, St. George, UT; Mark (Holly) Green, Evanston, WY; Brad Green, Victor, MT; 10 grandchildren and 27 great-grandchildren.

A small private celebration of Bill's Life will be held at a later date.  Donations in Bill's memory can be made to: https://www.dementiasociety.org/donate