William Lloyd Sickels

On September 14, 2020, William "Bill" Sickels went to be with his Lord and Savior while at his home in Visalia, CA. Bill had been a member of the Methodist Church of Visalia for over 50 years. Early in 1950's, Bill was a member of the Tipton Methodist Church where he accepted Christ as his Savior and was baptized in front of the congregation. He was a leader in the Divorce Recovery program through the Methodist church. Bill was born in Porterville, CA on March 26, 1936 to Roy and Lula Mae Sickels. He spent most of his younger years in Tulare and graduated from Tulare Union HS in 1954. After high school, he attended Porterville College and San Jose State, majoring in physical education. He served in the United States Army from 1960-1963. When he was honorably discharged, he returned to San Jose State and obtained his master's degree in physical education. While working on his master's degree, Bill was a math teacher, football, and wrestling coach at Redwood High School. In 1968, Bill transferred to Victor Valley College for two years. In 1970 Bill came back to the valley and coached football and wrestling, taught math, and later became the athletic director at Tulare Western High School until his retirement in 1996. During the summers, off time, and after retirement Bill enjoyed working for Orange Belt Stages and Celebrant Singers as a driver. Bill was heavily involved in serving with Visalia YMCA, Kiwanis of Visalia, and Boy Scouts of America. He attended YMCA as a teenager and as an adult, he served as counselor, waterfront director, and as a board of trustee's member. He was awarded Person of the Year in 1984 and inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1990 at the YMCA. He served at the Assistant Scoutmaster and Scoutmaster of Troop 302 from 1980-1983. Once he started to slow down, Bill spent as much time as he could with his son's family, Alan and Rebecca Sickels and their daughter Katie. Bill is also survived by four sisters, Letitia Hardin, Margie Lawson, Carol Fuchs, and Bonnie Armendariz, and two brothers, Richard and Philip Sickels. He also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Visalia Methodist Church.

William Lloyd Sickels

March 26, 1936 - September 14, 2020