William Douglas "Bill" Morger Sr.

William Douglas "Bill" Morger Sr., formerly of Elmer City and Coulee Dam,Washington, passed away after a long illness in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Wednesday, September 1, 2021.  Bill was born in Fort Collins, Colorado, on August 23, 1937, to Marvin and Josephine Morger.  Bill was one of 12 children.  Bill spent his early life in Colorado, moving to the central California valley at the age of three years. Most of his youth was spent in central California, where his family owned many businesses including a family dairy. He was very active in FFA and 4-H in his youth. His family moved to Washington State in 1956.

In June of 1958 Bill married Michaela Rager at her family home in Brewster, Washington.  They had three children: Belinda Morger of Renton Washington; Samara (Win) Maynard of Woodinville, Washington; and William Douglas (Sandra) Morger, Jr. of East Wenatchee, Washington. Michaela passed away in October of 1963.  Bill married Birdie Rager (Hensley) in June of 1965, this marriage ended in 1977. 

Bill spent his entire working career with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. He started his employment with the Bureau in 1956 at the Brewster Irrigation Project.  Bill worked on several Bureau projects during his career including, but not limited to, the Brewster Irrigation Project; Medford, Oregon; Oroville, Washington; Brownville, Texas, and East Wenatchee.

In 1967, Bill and Birdie moved to Elmer City with their three children. Bill started at the Grand Coulee Dam Third Powerplant project in the summer of 1967 and worked there as a construction inspector until his medical retirement in 1977. He was reinstated with the Bureau at Grand Coulee Dam in 1985, and retired from the Bureau at the Roosevelt Dam project near Phoenix in 1992. He lived in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area until his death.

Bill leaves behind his three children, five grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

The family is planning a private service in the spring of 2022.