Let’s take a moment to appreciate the life of Billy Ted Utley. He expected to be around long enough to celebrate his 104th birthday, but he didn’t quite reach that goal. It wasn’t often in his life that he didn’t achieve exactly what he planned, and his 97 years were full of accomplishments.

He was born in Checotah Oklahoma, June 26, 1928. His dad moved to Chicago to find work, so Bill spent his years with his mom and her family in Oklahoma, living with different relatives along the way. By 1939, the family moved to California and they settled in Los Angeles. The next year he graduated from Florence Avenue Elementary School (the first of many graduations to come) and the year after that he got his first job, a paper route for the Huntington Park Signal. He made his way to high school and started to rebel as he fell in with the wrong crowd. When his Aunt Iona found out, she intervened and moved Bill from Los Angeles to Sacramento. That seemed to get him back on track and he returned to live with Ted and Christine in South Gate the next year. He was able to do well his last two years of high school, graduated in 1947, and got a job at General Veneer, a plywood company in South Gate.

In 1948, Bill was introduced to Mary Jane Duncan and by 1949 they were married. He continued to pursue his education and in 1951, Bill received his AA degree in accounting from John Muir Junior College in Altadena. A few years (and three children) later, Bill decided pharmacy was his career path and he went back to school to complete the requirements. One of his instructors encouraged him to “get smart” and go into dentistry or medicine instead…so he did. In 1960, he graduated from USC School of Dentistry and started practicing in Downey. By this point, he and Mary had four children. He attributed his ability to complete his degree to her, as during that time she juggled the roles of wife, mother, and sole breadwinner of the household.

After Bill spent a few years establishing a successful dental practice, in 1965, he began volunteering at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital. He donated his time and supplies to patients (most of whom were children with polio) who resided at the hospital and were not otherwise able to access dental care. What started as a few volunteer hours each week grew into the role of Director of the Dental Department. In this role, he helped establish a dental residency program for both USC and UCLA students. When he retired from Rancho in 1972, he didn’t really retire. Bill entered the Los Angeles County Sheriff Reserve Academy Class. In his 15 years of service there, he reached the rank of Captain of Medical Company. During this time, he also stayed active in his USC Dental Fraternity, was involved in the Kiwanis Service Club, made some pretty impressive golf shots, and traveled with Mary.

They loved to travel. On their national and international adventures, they hunted for antique treasures. Over time, they assembled many unique collections. While Mary hunted for jewelry, Bill hunted a variety of items. From National cash registers to perfume atomizers, his interests varied. He became curious about pictures printed on glass, which led to his collection of Edward Curtis’ Indian historical prints. His interest in flashlights led to so many flashlights! He didn’t just collect them to have or showcase; he studied them and researched their history (as he did with all of his collections). He became a flashlight expert, created a nationwide flashlight collector newsletter (with a surprising number of members), and in 2001 he published a book on the First 100 Years of Eveready flashlights. Copies of that book are still selling, 25 years later.

After publishing the flashlight book, he kept writing. He turned his interest in genealogy and his heritage into a family history book. And after she passed in 2016, Bill also started writing a book on Mary’s family history. He was never one to sit idle or waste time; starting with his paper route in junior high he was always working.

He and Mary are survived by their four children and six great grandchildren; many of whom are here today to honor his life and memory.