William Temple Teachout

Bill Teachout was born on December 28, 1930 in West Upton, Massachusetts, the third child of William Trafford Teachout and Elizabeth Temple Teachout. He went to Wesleyan University in Connecticut, graduating in 1953. He received an MBA from Harvard in 1955 before completing his military service in the Army Finance Corps, stationed in San Francisco, CA. That’s where he met his wife of over 65 years, Ann Collins. He always said he was the luckiest man in the world to have her as the love of his life.
Bill was first and foremost a family man and a people person. He was devoted to his extended family and had a wide circle of friends. His warm hugs and friendly greetings to all passers-by were well-known. His second love was sports, both as a participant and a spectator. He never stopped cheering for his home team, the Boston Red Sox. He was a dedicated member of his church, First Presbyterian Church of Orange. He served as an elder and church administrator there for over 20 years.

Finally, he was a businessman. He worked for several different companies in the burgeoning home improvement industry: Gold Triangle in South Florida, Handy Dan, Builder’s Emporium, and California Hardware in Southern California serving as President/CEO of the latter two companies. In 2018, he and Ann moved from their long-time home in Santa Ana to Santa Barbara to be closer to family. We are especially indebted to all the staff at Valle Verde for their wonderful care over the last 4 years.
Bill was an eternal optimist, a cancer survivor, a world-traveler, and a supporter of charities and organizations too many to name. He had a special place in his heart for Yosemite National Park, a place he and Ann visited almost every year for over 40 years. He passed peacefully after a short illness at the age of ninety-one on July 15, 2022.

He is survived by his wife Ann, his sister Nancy Gardner, his daughters Kathy Jennings and Julie Klapp, son-in-law Nelson Jennings, 6 granddaughters and 6 great-grandchildren, who knew him as Peepaw. In lieu of flowers, donations should be made to First Presbyterian Church of Orange (191 N. Orange St, Orange, CA 92866) or the Yosemite Conservancy (Yosemite.org). No memorial service is planned at this time. Notes of remembrance may be sent to his widow at anbteach2@gmail.com