Bill N. Hay died Sept. 20, 2009, on Mercer Island, in the Mercer Island Care and Rehabilitation Center. He was born on March 11, 1910, to Claude Hay and Anna Marie Nachant in Snohomish County, where he grew up and graduated from Sultan High School in 1927. In 1940, he married Christine Northcott, of Winthrop, Wash., who died in 1986. In 1988, he married Ruth Elkins of Ephrata, Wash.

At age 17, Mr. Hay started working in a sawmill. In 1927, he went to work for the U.S. Forest Service and majored in forestry at the University of Washington. That led to becoming an officer in the CCCs, where he became a first lieutenant. In 1940, he was called to active duty in the Army. He landed at Normandy on D-Day and participated continuously until the Armistice was signed. He was involved in the Battle of the Bulge and many times was the first to liberate prisoners from concentration camps. In late 1947, he returned to resume his career under civil service at the Grand Coulee Dam. In 1951, he transferred to Ephrata and the Bureau of Reclamation. He retired from the military in 1961 as a lieutenant colonel, having served 34 years. He retired from the Bureau of Reclamation in 1985, having worked for the government for 50 years.

Mr. Hay and his wife, Ruth, moved to Mercer Island in 2004 to be closer to family.

Mr. Hay is survived by his wife, Ruth, and stepson, Richard Elkins (Elizabeth), of Mercer Island; stepdaughter, Joanne White (George), of Redmond; a stepgrandson, Jon Elkins (Jeanette) and two great-granddaughters, Ashley and Allison, of Kent; a step-granddaughter, Jodi Elkins, of Yakima; and several nieces and nephews. A sister, Doris, preceded him in death in the 1940s.

A graveside service was held in Winthrop, Wash. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 30, at Island House Retirement Center, 7810 S.E. 30th St., Mercer Island.

Remembrances are suggested to the Mercer Island Covenant Church.