Tom passed away peacefully after a long illness.  He was surrounded by his family during his last illness and his death.
He was preceded in death by his daughter Julia Bill, his father Emil Bill, his mother Marguerite Bill Lawrence and his brother Robert Bill.
He is survived by his wife, Colleen Carkeet Bill, five children, Stanley (Lori) Bill of Turlock, Katie (David) Day of Turlock, Sally (Greg) Paulson of Turlock, David (Patricia) Bill of Sacramento, Amy (Edward) Houghtaling of Turlock, 14 grandchildren, his sister Dorothy Washburn of Anderson, Indiana, several loving nieces and nephews and honorary son Dr. Camilo Uribe-Zapata of Bogota, Colombia.
After the death of his father, his remaining family moved in 1943 to Turlock, where his mother had business interests.  He attended local schools and graduated from Turlock High School.
He and Colleen were married in 1950.  They were briefly in the poultry business.  He, with his partner Bill Katakis, bought and ran Turlock Auto Wreckers until Tom sold his interest in the late 80s and joined Endsley and Associates.  He remained in the real estate business until his retirement.
While in the auto wrecking business, he served two terms as president of the Northern California Auto Wrecking Association. He was a member of Turlock Rotary Club for many years.  He was extremely active with the group which raised funds to build the current Sacred Heart Church.  He was also instrumental in developing a fund raising process for scholarships for local high school students to become AFS exchange students.
He loved and enjoyed his family, his many old friends, his golf and tennis, and his poker club.  He lived life with love and humor and laughter until the end.
Services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 22, 2013, at Sacred Heart Church on Lyons Avenue in Turlock. Burial will be private.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Alexander Cohen Hospice House in care of Community Hospice, 4368 Spyres Way, Modesto, CA  95356, or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN  38105