William McEntire II Obituary

William McEntire II attended Watertown High School in Watertown, WI. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about William Mcentire Ii.

Graduation Year	Class of 1961
Date of Passing	Mar 23, 2025
About	(no additional information)
Events	William Darius McEntire II Sonora, CA - William (Bill) Darius McEntire II, 82, founder of MRL Industries Inc., Thermtec, and several other businesses, passed away peacefully at his home in Sonora, California, on March 23, 2025. Born in Watertown, Wisconsin, to Herman and Ethel McEntire, Bill began honing his business skills at an early age. As the neighborhood "enforcer" for his friends, he required payment for his services in monopoly money, guaranteeing him the winner of their next game. Growing up, Bill always enjoyed fishing with his brother, Richard, and their dad at the lakes in the area. He attended St. Henry's Parochial School and graduated from Watertown High School in 1961. He then went on to General Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan, on a scholarship. However, he chose to leave after a year, as the school pulled the business program. He married his high school sweetheart, Suzanne (Suzy) Blaese, on August 29, 1964. They had a son, Chris, and two daughters, Katie and Karen. He was hired as a draftsman in 1965 at Lindberg, a division of SBI, a semiconductor equipment manufacturer. Promotions led him to the Marketing Department and a move to Sunnyvale, California (in the heart of the future Silicon Valley) and SBI's Unicorp Division in 1976. His experiences there helped him realize the dream of owning his own business. Starting small in his garage in San Jose, California, he began making parts for semiconductor equipment, and his dream was becoming a reality. Silicon Valley was the perfect place to start his business, MRL Industries, with his wife, Suzy. The business continued to grow and needed space. With the real estate prices so high in the Bay Area, they moved the business to Sonora, where they found reasonable rent and a thriving workforce. Bill was an "outside-the-box" thinker, an attribute necessary to be successful. In 1985, he felt compelled to start an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) to promote loyalty and stability in his employees. Employees and customers alike considered him a tough but fair businessman. Continued growth required the company to construct it's own building, and the workforce grew, employing 250 at one point. Sales Agents worldwide solidified MRL's reputation for quality products that are fairly priced. Customers such as Texas Instruments, Motorola, Intel, IBM, and National Semiconductor were just a few of their customer base. The business was recognized with numerous awards over the years, including Small Business of the Year (1995) from the Small Business Administration. Bill was personally awarded both the Entrepreneur of the Year (1992) and Citizen of the Year (1994) from the Tuolumne County Chamber of Commerce, and in 2015, The Irving Symons Outstanding Service to the Community Award for volunteering his time serving on the steering committees for Sonora Regional Medical Center's capital campaigns for cancer, cardiac care and the new therapy pool. In addition, he helped organize the hospital's golf classic and Joie de Vie Gala. While still running their business, Bill became a committee member of the Tuolumne County Revolving Loan Fund at its inception and remained there for 18 years. Retirement loomed, and the business was sold in 1999. In 2002, he began volunteering as a counselor for the local SCORE (Senior Corps of Retired Executives) chapter and held workshops for individuals thinking of starting a business, teaching them the basics. After 10 years at SCORE, Bill had caught the traveling bug. He remained generous with his time and an active community member as he was proud to call it home. Bill and Suzy drove thousands of miles across the United States multiple times, visiting National Parks, Presidential Libraries, and many friends and family. As grandchildren arrived, it was time to stay closer to home. During football season, Bill spent Sunday afternoons with his grandson, Andrew, cheering on their favorite team or playing poker or monopoly. Bill was an avid golfer and enjoyed refurbishing old clocks purchased on their travels. He and Suzy spent over 60 years as companions, and so much more. He was always known as a tough and sometimes challenging man, but his family watched him become a much softer person over the years. He always loved discussing business and finance with anyone and had so much to share. He is survived by his wife, Suzy, son, Chris, and daughter Karen (Jeff) Peet, and granddaughters Margaret, Stella, Chloe, and Bridget, brother Richard (Jill) of Decatur, Alabama, and sister-in-law Peggy Straseske of Cottage Grove, Minnesota, and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Kathleen, and grandson, Andrew. A very sincere thank you to Dr. Jason Jeffery, Adventist Health Hospice, Cal Fire, Terzich & Wilson, caregivers, and friends for their genuine kindness, compassion, and support. Father Jeff Wilson, Father Sekar, and Deacon Joe Gomes, thank you for providing spiritual support and comfort. A Requiem Mass will be held at Saint Joseph's Mission in Tuolumne City at 11:00 am on Saturday, May 10, followed by a Celebration of Bill's Life at Black Oak Casino Hotel. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Unbound, an organization supporting children and seniors in third-world countries, a cause Bill and Suzy have supported for years.