William John “Bill” Gough, 77
Born in Helena, Montana, April 14, 1945 to Donald Gordon Gough and Jane Bell Gough. The Lord called him home on Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022 in Post Falls, Idaho, after a valiant battle with cancer and the effects of Agent Orange.
Bill grew up in Helena, Great Falls, Salt Lake City and Seattle, where he graduated from Mount Rainier High School in 1963. He soon joined the Air Force, where he served four years, including a year in Vietnam on a communication base.
Bill and Sharron met while both worked at the Downey (California) Police Department where he served 30 years as a police officer, DARE drug prevention officer, and detective. He also was thrilled to pilot the Department’s ultralight plane. They were married on August 4, 1981, lived in several cities around Los Angeles and then Palmdale, California before retiring and moving to Post Falls, Idaho, where they have lived since 1999.
Along with his entire family, Bill’s lifelong passion has been music, including guitar, piano and other instruments, and especially singing. He performed locally as Bill’s One Man Band (BOMB, lol). For many years he has been involved in SingSnap, the world's largest online singing community. (Pick your favorite song, record it, post it, and just wait for the comments to roll in.) He has hundreds of recordings and tons of wonderful reviews and will be sorely
missed by that community.
Bill was a true patriot, committed to God, family and the conservative values of his country. The American flag flies in his yard and his ashes are in an American Flag urn. Among other organizations he has belonged to the Eagles, Elks, Real Life Ministries, Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion, where he delighted audiences with Bill’s One Man Band and cooked Sunday breakfasts.
Before he married Sharron in 1981, Bill had three children: Monica, Michael and Becky. Sharron also had three children: Dan, Sharri, and Ganelle. Many grandchildren and great- grandchildren have blessed their lives. He is preceded in death by both parents and three siblings: Robert Gough, Barry Gough and Donna Haire; and is survived by his beloved wife Sharron, his sister Wendy Haley, sister-in-law Helene Gough, his six children and many grand- and great-grandchildren as well as many nieces and nephews.
On June 22 we will have a Celebration of Life at Bell Tower Funeral Home, 3398 East Jenalan Avenue, Post Falls, Idaho 83854 at 1:00 pm.
IN LIEU OF FLOWERS, BECAUSE OF ALLERGIES, THE FAMILY SUGGEST THAT DONATIONS BE MADE IN BILL’S NAME TO NEWBY-GINNINGS AT WWW.NEWBYGINNINGS.ORG OR 570 S. CLEARWATER LOOP, UNIT A POST FALLS, ID 83854
May God richly bless you for the blessings you have brought to Bill’s life. Please visit and share on Bill’s tribute page at www.belltowerfuneralhome.com We look forward to sharing your memories of this wonderful man.