William Chyna Obituary

I first met Bill in October of 2001 when I began volunteering in the Steam Shop at IRM. Over the years we worked on several projects together. During that time I am honored to say that we developed a close friendship. Bill was not only a mentor, but he was also like a father to me. He was gifted with an understanding of mechanical, electrical and even hydraulic systems. There were few questions I could come up with that Bill couldn't answer. Whenever I wanted to know how to tackle a particular task at the museum (or even a home project for that matter) Bill always had a helpful suggestion or two. I would ask “how?” and he would know how.

Bill was also blessed with a sharp sense of humor. I can't begin to count the number of times I looked for a misplaced part or tool at the museum, only to have Bill find it and remark: “Let's use this one until we find it!” Often, after completing a very difficult job, Bill was fond of saying: “So much for the easy part!” Very often he was right. That was the easy part!

Bill's passing left a large void not only at the museum, but a void in my life as well. He will be missed for a very long time.