William Joseph Hotchkiss

William (Bill) Hotchkiss passed away on November 27th, after a relatively short battle with cancer. 

Bill was born on September 10, 1948 at an air force base in Fort Bragg, NC, where his father was stationed. He grew up in Iowa and graduated from Bettendorf High School, where he was a standout wrestler. 

In the late 70s, Bill moved to Petersham, MA, and found a job baking and delivering bread. Having developed a passion for bread making, Bill set off on his bicycle in the mid 80s to find a perfect location to start his own bakery. That brought him to Corvallis, and he knew he was home. In 1985, Bill opened Sunrise Sourdough Bakery In Philomath, which he operated until August of this year. 

Bill loved being outdoors and enjoyed biking, kayaking and hiking, and made several cross-country bicycle trips. He was well known in Corvallis as the “juggling unicycler” and would ride around town riding his unicycle, while juggling or bouncing basketballs. 

Bill was a rare individual in that he treated all people equally, regardless of their means. He had a lot of compassion for the homeless, and would donate his bread to the local shelters. 

Bill loved his family, especially his twin sister, Stephanie, and her two children. His visits back to Iowa were some of the brightest childhood memories for his niece and nephew. 

In years prior, on the day he passed, Bill would’ve been cycling to Newport for his annual ride to the coast where he would spend a quiet Thanksgiving walking the beach. 

Bill was preceded in death by his father, William Hotchkiss, mother, Maxine Wolfe, and sister, Stephanie Hotchkiss. He is survived by his nephew, Jim Hobert, of Des Moines, Iowa; his niece, Heather Hobert-Hoch (Kurt), of Pleasant Hill, Iowa; as well as great nieces and nephews, including Jimmy, Ethan and Nikki Hobert, Landen Weldon and Ireland Hoch. He also leaves behind tons of great friends, including Karen Powers, who helped care for him in his final days. 

In accordance with Bill’s wishes, the family will hold a private celebration of life at several locations along the Oregon coast.