Bill Cattrall 1947 - 2025

William Charles Cattrall died Tuesday, May 6, 2025, surrounded by his family, at his home on the farm in Amity, Oregon.

Bill was born December 29, 1947, in Salem, the son of John and Verna Bond Cattrall. He went to school in Macleay and Salem, and graduated in 1966 from North Salem High School. He attended Oregon State University before enlisting in the Army in 1968. Stationed in Italy, he developed a lifelong love of wine and travel. After four years of service, he returned to the family farm, where he planted wine grapes, wheat, and other crops.

He married Carol Stromsness Cattrall on a snowy day in April of 1982, and together, they raised two daughters. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, John and Verna. He is survived by his wife, Carol; his brother, Tom; his daughters, Julia Cattrall and Laura Potts-Cattrall (Brian); and grandchildren, Magnolia and Cameron.

A carpenter and farmer by trade, Bill was a true Renaissance man by disposition. He could build anything out of wood—houses, cedar-strip kayaks, furniture, musical instruments, woodblock art, and took classes at Oregon College of Education to learn to sew, weave, and draw. Bill loved to travel, especially to connect with relatives and ancestral homelands he found in his genealogy research. He was a kayaker, hiker, and avid fisherman who tied his own flies. He could fix anything, and loved working on the old farm trucks and tractors with his brother.

He was an amazing father who taught his daughters to prune the grapes, hunt for fossils, and even how to build their own house. He was active in his community, and would always show up if the team needed a coach, the school play needed a set, or the playground needed rebuilding.

A dedicated conservationist, Bill was proud to be the first grape-grower in Oregon to achieve organic certification. He continued to work in the vineyard until the end of his life, stewarding it through more than fifty vintages. In 2017, the Cattrall family farm was designated a Century Farm, an honor he had always dreamed of achieving in his lifetime.

A remembrance gathering will be held at 2 p.m., Saturday, June 14, 2025, at Yamhill Valley Heritage Center in McMinnville. Memorial contributions may be made to the Friends of the Amity Public Library, where Bill, an avid reader, borrowed countless books over the years.