William Deshay English
Jan 31, 1923 -
Jan 11, 2023
William "Bill" Deshay English's life began on Jan. 31, 1923, with an often-told and much-loved story. After going into labor, Bill's mother, Agorak, mushed her dog team into the dead of night and subzero temperatures. She was embarked on a harrowing 10-mile journey from her home in Wiseman, Alaska, to Coldfoot where the region's only midwife resided. Charged with running the general store, Bill's father, William Sr., stayed behind in Wiseman while he awaited the arrival of his newborn son. When Agorak drove her team back to Wiseman with infant Bill wrapped in furs, his father's worry burst into a celebration throughout the remote, scenic Arctic village on the banks of the Koyukuk River. It was here that Bill spent his childhood as a happy, active village kid.
During the late 1920s, aviator Noel Wien made an historic excursion above the Arctic Circle in his open cockpit biplane, landing on a gravel bar near Wiseman. Young Bill was entranced by the "giant mosquito" buzzing in the sky, a fascination that would eventually turn into a deep passion for the art of flying and a dream of becoming a pilot.
When Bill reached adolescence, his parents sent him to live with his father's family in California. Despite the culture shock, Bill excelled academically and developed a passion for track and field. He found that sports offered a way for him to connect with his peers despite coming from a very different background. He graduated from high school in California, after which he returned to Fairbanks and enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving from 1943-1945. Following World War II, Bill was able to pursue his childhood dream of becoming a pilot. He quickly earned his license and applied to work for the very same man, Noel Wien, who had inspired his dream two decades earlier.
In 1948, Bill married Shirley Nelson, a Seattle native who moved to Fairbanks in 1946 to study English at UAF. Their romance began when Shirley, watching the planes land at Weeks Field in Fairbanks, spotted Bill, clad in caribou mukluks made by his mother, stepping out of his Cessna 140. Love blossomed, and the two would develop an enduring bond that would last 72 years and lead to three children: Sharon (1949), Bill Jr. (1950) and Tamara (1968).
After joining Wien Airlines in 1946, Bill became one of the first Native Alaskan commercial pilots and began a 37-year career as Captain that would take him to the far reaches of Alaska and eventually to a seat on Wien's board of directors. Along the way, he became the first Native Alaskan pilot to earn an Airline Transport Rating and the first to serve as an FAA examiner. He retired with more than 36,000 hours of commercial flight and a perfect safety record.
During his early tenure at Wien in Fairbanks, Bill helped promote the World Eskimo-Indian Olympics and became its first Master of Ceremonies – a position he proudly served in through the early 1970s. After Bill retired from Wien in 1983, an Anchorage businessman seeking a sure, experienced pilot with solid credentials hired Bill to fly his private jet, a Lockheed Jet Star, around the globe.
Bill was a huge proponent of lifelong education. In his middle-age years, he earned a bachelor's in business administration with a major in transportation from the University of Washington. He understood the economic and political influence that ANCSA corporations possessed to advance the education and well-being of Native Alaskan youth. In his retirement, he served on the CIRI Board of Directors and the Cook Inlet Housing Authority Board.
For his long and dedicated career in which he contributed to the evolution, growth and safety of aviation in Alaska, he was honored in 2012 as an Alaska Living Aviator Legend, and in 2014, was formally inducted into the Alaska Aviation Hall of Fame. In response, he spoke with humility and gratitude for the support he received from fellow Alaskans throughout his life. He was grateful for the opportunity to give back to the state, communities and people who had made possible the flying career he loved.
Bill passed peacefully on Jan. 11, 2023 - nearly 100 years after that first ride in a dog sled. He was at home in Anchorage, surrounded by his loved ones. He will be remembered for his good-natured humor, quiet energy, curiosity and the enduring peace with which he moved through the world. He will be dearly missed.
He is predeceased by his parents, William and Agorak; sister, Dishoo; wife, Shirley; and daughter, Tamara. He is survived by his daughter, Sharon; son, Bill Jr.; grandchildren, Gretta and Wiley; numerous relatives in the Kotzebue and Oakland, Calif., areas.
Bill's family is eternally grateful to the many individuals and organizations who helped care for Bill and Shirley in their final months including the Providence Hospice team, Alzheimer's Resource of Alaska and Veterans Affairs of Alaska.
A Celebration of Life/Memorial service for Bill will be held on Thursday, May 11, 2023, from 4-7 p.m., at the Coast Inn at Lake Hood, 3450 Aviation Avenue in Anchorage; 907-243-2233. Guests are invited to share stories or picture(s) of Bill's life, flying adventures and tall tales from the past. And, in honor of Bill, please consider an act of kindness to someone in need.
