William Raymond 'Bill' Haskins, 68

William Raymond "Bill" Haskins, 68, passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2004, in Sandpoint, Idaho.

Private family services have been held.

Bill was born on March 23, 1936, in Hanna, Wyo., the son of Roland and Olga (Lahti) Haskins. He grew up in Hanna and at the age of 6, moved to Laramie, Wyo. He attended local schools and graduated from high school in 1954 Laramie, Wyo.

He was inducted into the U.S. Army and served from 1954 to 1956 in Germany as a squad leader with Company G, 47th Infantry Regiment.

Upon his discharge from the Army, Bill returned to Wyoming to attend College; studying electrical engineering at the University of Wyoming. He worked for Martin-Marietta on the Titan I, Titan II and Atlas missiles as an aero-electrical design engineer in Denver, Colo., and Plattsburg, N.Y., from 1960-1964.

He worked seasonal jobs from 1964 to 1966, working as a fishing guide and marina manager at Signal Mountain Lodge in the Grand Teton National Park. He also worked for the National Park Service from 1966 to 1968 as a Park Ranger in the Teton National Park and at Lake Chelan Recreational Area. From 1964 to 1967, he worked at the Brighton Ski Area as an assistant ski school director and a certified ski instructor.

He married Susan "Susie" MacDonald Hurst on Oct. 16, 1965, in Jackson, Wyo. They continued to work seasonal jobs at Alta Ski Area and Bill worked as a ski instructor, ski school instructor and summer maintenance crew from 1967-1972.

Bill and Susie moved to Sandpoint, Idaho, in 1972 and he worked at Schweitzer Basin as the director of skiing, hospitality services, property management and marketing director. From 1978 to 1986, he was operations manager at Schweitzer.

His extensive work in marketing resulted in the development and promotion of what is known as Oktoberfest. This event is still celebrated along with another event he promoted, the Winter Carnival. He served as Winter Carnival President from 1974 1975. He also was president of the Idaho Ski Association, the initial beginning of the Idaho Tourism Department with the state and successfully lobbied the Idaho Legislature to pass the Idaho Skier Responsibility Code. Other organizations he contributed to included the Central Business Association, Chamber of Commerce and ski industry organizations.

He worked at the Garden Restaurant and Back Door Saloon as a bartender, and later worked for Bill Burnett at Aqualytic as an office manager. He retired in 2001.

Bill enjoyed fishing, skiing and especially fly fishing in the Yellowstone National Park in Jackson, Wyo. He also enjoyed cooking.

Remember Bill with a smile in your heart.

Survivors include his wife, Susie Haskins of Sandpoint; a daughter, Heidi Haskins, USN, of Alexandria, Va.; a son, Ooli (Colleen) Haskins of Lake Tahoe, Nev.; a sister, Hope (LeRoy) Esp of Boise, Idaho; and two brothers, Roland Haskins of Kalispell, Mont., and Harry Haskins of Ellhofen, Germany. He was preceded in death by his parents.

Arrangements are under the care of Coffelt Funeral Service, Inc., of Sandpoint.