Obituary: Dr. William McCloud

The couple decided to marry at age 20 with only a three day engagement because Thurlow had been drafted. They married in Twin Falls on Sept. 6, 1952. He served in the Army during the Korean War as a radio operator in Japan. After discharge, the couple lived in Oregon, Idaho, and Washington, having four children along the way. Thurlow went to graduate school, taught high school chemistry and math, and also worked as a chemist during these years.

After obtaining his doctorate at WSU in Pullman, Washington, the family moved to Chico, California, where Thurlow worked at Chico State University as a professor of clinical psychology for more than 25 years in the Student Counseling Center.

Heather and Thurlow loved the outdoors and were lifelong explorers and backpackers, hiking extensively all over the west beginning in the early 1960s. The couple moved to The Dalles, Oregon in the late 1990s. In retirement, they trekked in the Himalayas, traveled to many countries and helped establish a water project in Haiti.

Thurlow loved playing the harmonica, woodworking, flying his plane, and riding motorcycles. He and his son, Michael, rode the entire length of Baja California on one trip. In 2010, while backpacking, he had a life-altering stroke. He lived for 14 years with severe disability, tirelessly cared for by Heather. He always remained his gracious and patient self. His twinkle and his sense of humor shone throughout it all, even when he didn’t have the words to express himself.

Thurlow was a vibrant man with a great sense of humor. He was a story teller extraordinaire (often scaring his kids and, later, his grandkids with ghost stories made up on the fly). He was a writer and a poet, a curious, thinking person and a lifelong learner. He was a wonderful and loving person.

He is survived by his wife of 72 years, Heather, and children Shannon McCloud Morgan (Dennis), Dawnette McCloud (Michael), Brian McCloud, and Michael McCloud (Carrie). He is also survived by grandchildren and their partners, and great-grandchildren, whom he loved dearly.

He will be forever in our hearts and missed.

His family would especially like to thank the wonderful director of the Sunshine Club, Tonya DeHart. She and her staff’s excellent and loving support make all the difference to people who are affected by memory loss and their families. Any memorial donations may be made to the Sunshine Club, c/o Friends of the Sunshine Club, 1140 Tucker Road, Hood River, OR 97031. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.