William "Bill" Cordill

Date of birth  - April 12, 1946

Date of death  - January 16, 2025

Bill Cordill was born in Oregon City, Oregon to Alvin and Betty Cordill on April 12, 1946. He was the middle of three boys. He graduated from Molalla High School in 1964.

Upon graduating, Bill attended Mt. Angel College and enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve where he was trained as an electrician’s mate. In 1967, with the escalation of the Viet Nam War, Bill was assigned active duty aboard the destroyer, U.S.S. Jouett in the Gulf of Tonkin. During his deployment he also travelled to the Philippines, Hong Kong, and Japan. He was very proud of crossing the equator and the International Dateline at the same time, thus earning the distinction of being a “Golden Shellback.”

Upon returning to the States, Bill used the GI Bill to graduate from the Oregon College of Education, earn a Master’s Degree in Special Education, and obtain Administrative Certification from Portland State University.

Bill married Elisabeth Jean Manning (Betty Jean) of Salem on March 22, 1969, and the couple moved to Madras to start Bill’s career in teaching. He spent 29 years with Jefferson County School District serving as a teacher, vice-principal, athletic director, principal and head of district support services. A highlight of his career was overseeing the construction of the current Jefferson County Middle School.

Bill was very active in the Madras community and would lend a hand whenever asked. He especially enjoyed being part of the Jefferson County Fire Department for which he volunteered his time for 20 years and in 1989 was recognized as “JCFD Firefighter of the Year.” In 1996 Bill was recognized as “Citizen of the Year” by the Jefferson County Chamber of Commerce.

Bill was a devoted Catholic and spent countless hours helping at St. Patrick’s in Madras with various building projects and fundraisers, and he was an active member of the Knights of Columbus.

In 2007, Bill and Betty Jean moved to Silverton to be closer to both their families. He remained active with St. Paul’s Catholic community in Silverton and lent a hand in activities such as the annual Mt. Angel Oktoberfest for as long as his health allowed.

Bill’s grandchildren quickly became his passion, and he enjoyed being active in their education and activities. He was proud of all four of them; Claire Cordill, Tyler Cordill, Caleb Novotny, and Haley Novotny. He supported them in any way possible.

Bill is survived by his wife of 56 years, Betty Jean, his two sons, Steve (Christanja Hagler), Jeff (Kara), and daughter Betsy (Ryan) Novotny and his brother Lester Cordill. Bill was preceded in death by his parents and his older brother Raymond Cordill.

Bill ultimately passed away from cancer on January 16, 2025. He was 78. Services will be held on Thursday, January 23, 2025, at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Silverton, Oregon beginning with a Rosary at 10:30am, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00am.

In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in memory of Bill to: American Cancer Society https://donate.cancer.org/ or St. Paul’s Catholic Church, Silverton, Oregon https://stpaulsilverton.com/offertory-donations