William "Bill" Frisbie

William “Bill” Frisbie, age 85, of Grants Pass, died Tuesday, September 9, 2014 at his home. A military burial, with Navy Honor Guard, was held at Eagle Point Veteran’s Cemetery. Hull and Hull Funeral Directors are in charge of arrangements.

Bill was born July 11, 1929, in Fairbury, Nebraska. When he was three, his family moved to a dairy farm outside of Rib Lake, Wisconsin, and it is here that he grew up.

Bill joined the Navy in 1949, and was selected for service in the Navy’s elite Submarine Corp. His military career spanned the Korean and Viet Nam Wars. However, his courageous service to his country was primarily during the (officially unrecognized) Cold War, as his nuclear submarines patrolled waters around the world.

While stationed in Key West, Florida, he met and married Alpha Barron in 1953. They lived in many Naval duty ports throughout the United States, as well as Cuba. Bill retired from the Navy in 1969, and moved his family to “Frisbie’s Farm,” outside Hugo. There he began building the home he had designed, as well as raising various animals and growing amazing vegetable and rose gardens. He retired from the postal service in 1989 and became a “full time grandpa,” at which he truly excelled. He enjoyed gardening, hunting, camping, travel, music, and most especially, spending time with family and friends.

Married for fifty eight years, Bill is preceded by Alpha’s death in 2011. He is survived by three daughters: Vicky Van Dyke, of Portland, Cindy Bigelow of Grants Pass, and Becky Eldridge, also of Grants Pass, as well as his sons, Greg Bigelow and Gordon Eldridge, both of Grants Pass. He is also survived by eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.