William Earnshaw Obituary

William Arnold "Bill" Earnshaw, our stalwart father, grandfather and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully on Sunday, February 6, in Bedford, New Hampshire. He was born June 11, 1926 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Spencer Arnold Earnshaw and Helen Scott Douglas. He is survived by one sibling, Mildred Farmer, of Los Angeles, CA. Bill grew up in Southern California and graduated from John C. Fremont High School in 1944. He joined the Navy in 1944 and was assigned to the Naval College Program at the University of Southern California where he earned a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1948 and an MBA in 1952.

Bill married Lois Marie Walker on November 21, 1951, in the Mesa Arizona Temple. They have shared a life filled with the love of their family and service to others. His greatest joy was found in his six children; Jan Fellow of Sun City, AZ, Craig Earnshaw of Park City, UT, Mark Earnshaw of Cape Elizabeth, ME, Scott Earnshaw of Bedford, NH, Sue Gillespie of Alpine, UT and Beth Harper of Georgetown, MA. Bill and Lois were immensely proud of their 30 grandchildren and 62 great grandchildren. Bill and his family lived in Whittier, California, Sudbury, Massachusetts, Huntsville, Alabama and have lived in Bedford, New Hampshire since 1972.

Bill worked in sales and project management in the aeronautics industry with Bechtel Corporation (1952-53), North American Aviation (1953-59), and Raytheon (1959-72). He then worked in the nascent electronic publishing industry with Hendrix Electronic (1972-76) and Bedford Computer (1977-85).

Bill loved serving in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and dedicated many hours to his church assignments. Although a 5th-generation member of the Church, he was the first member of his family to serve a mission, laboring in the London England Mission, 1948-1950. Bill and Lois served two church service missions; Quezon City, Philippines (1989-90) and Sydney, Australia (1994-95). That example has inspired their direct descendants to serve over 30 missions throughout the world. Bill served as bishop of the Whittier 3rd Ward, CA, and in the Huntsville Ward, AL, and as a counselor in the Manchester, NH Stake presidency. Bill was the inaugural First Counselor in the Boston Temple presidency (2000-03), where he served along with Lois. They both loved the Temple and its emphasis on the eternal nature of the family and continued to serve and uplift others.

Bill was a prolific artist and painted almost daily. His paintings are found throughout the homes of his family and friends and are greatly treasured. He enjoyed giving painting lessons, especially to his family members. Bill served as President of the Manchester Artists Association and loved to display his paintings in local exhibitions. Bill and Lois were also active in the Bedford Historical Society where they are past board members.

His funeral will be at 11:00am, Wednesday, February 9, 2022 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 105 Wind Song Ave, Manchester, New Hampshire. Visiting hours will be 5:00-8:00pm on Tuesday, February 8, at the Phaneuf Funeral Home, 243 Hanover St. in Manchester and 10:00am at the church before the funeral. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Bill's life and faith. For those who are unable to attend, services will be livestreamed through the following link https://zoom.us/j/99252925007

In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome in his name to the Bedford Historical Society.

Phaneuf Funeral Homes and Crematorium assisted the family with arrangements. To view an online memorial, leave a message of condolence, or for more information please go to www.phaneuf.net