In Memory of Bill Trede
September 2, 1942 - May 2, 2015
Obituary
Biography
 
“Give me a problem and I’ll hand you a solution. Bill was a man of great drive and a very original, independent thinker. For Bill, no challenge was impossible, and just about any desired result was within his grasp. Bill placed great trust in his intuition. Since that intuition generally led him in the right direction, who was he to doubt it.

Bill was born on September 2, 1942 at Norwegian American Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. He was the son of Robert and Luella Trede. His childhood found him in Chicago, Illinois where he matured into the independent person he eventually became.

Bill grew up with four siblings. He had two younger brothers, Ed and Ray, an older sister Marge and a younger sister Lor. Bill could be seen as being stubborn by his siblings. It was important to him that he was perceived as “right” when it came to his part in those typical family spats. However, this quality did not over power his caring for his family. This ability to balance his family, with his need to be seen as right, helped him to develop into a young adult while enjoying many good times with his family.

During his grade school years, Bill was a very focused and a serious student who actually enjoyed the challenge of many classroom problems. He was determined to succeed, and he drew upon his gifts of trust and perseverance to provide him with a competitive edge. While his first love might have been academics, Bill took part in bowling and softball. Bill delighted in projects that required planning, critical thinking and resolution.

Bill graduated from Carl Schurz high school in 1960. Bill was loyal to his friends. He found that he was most in tune with people who had similar interests and thought about things much the way that he did. Bill sometimes had a tendency to be critical in his friendships but he was more interested in finding out what was right in a situation rather than in being mean toward others. Bill was a person who challenged others to fend for themselves and to be original in their thinking and evaluation of the outside world. While growing up, his best friend was Walt Crichlow, who he remained friends with later in life.

On September 4, 1965, Bill exchanged wedding vows with Janice Karen Ulrich at Jefferson Lutheran Church in Chicago, Illinois. Janice's sensitivity to Bill's needs proved to be a wonderful influence on this man, who preferred to live in his “gut.” Janice's influence brought Bill to a new emotional level, one that eventually enhanced all of his other gifts and abilities. Janice was able to help Bill appreciate the fact that others made contributions and Bill became better at interacting with those around him. Because of this, Bill grew as a person.

Bill often neglected his own feelings in order to give to others. This was very true when it came to how he dealt with his children. He was able to hand on to each child a number of strong values. He taught them to appreciate their abilities, gave them a desire to persevere despite obstacles and set within them a drive to succeed. He has three children, three sons, Bill, Jim and Rob. He also has six grandchildren, Emily, Olivia, Jake, Abby, Dylan and Jackson. They were always aware of how much Bill loved them.

During Bill's professional working years, he was at his best when working independently. It became the hallmark of his performance. Bill was generally able to refocus his drive and determination and readily work toward finding a way to get things done that was beneficial to himself and his co-workers. His primary occupation was as a Computer Operator. He was employed by Topco, Caesar's Entertainment, Reynolds Electric and Engineering Company. Bill was also in the Army National Guard.

For Bill, his outside interests and hobbies became another exercise in learning and mastering areas that interested him. He greatly enjoyed unraveling the "how’s" and "whys" that lay behind his hobbies. Bill was always pushing himself to learn more and to stretch his knowledge base even further. He firmly believed that the more things that he knew the more control he would have over things. His favorite pursuits were bowling, softball and poker.

Watching his favorite sporting events by himself was never a problem for Bill. It allowed him to indulge in his own individual interpretation of the event. It was not uncommon for Bill to know what the right play or move “should have been,” and he would vocally address these feelings even if there was no one around to hear them. And if there were others around, he would still state his feelings and gladly debate anyone on their opposing views. He enjoyed following his favorite sporting events. Tops on his list were baseball and football.

Bill's faith allowed him to better appreciate the gifts and opinions of others. This deepening aspect of his life helped him to accept his own feelings to a greater degree. He was a member of Community Lutheran Church for 25 years.

Bill loved to travel. His favorite vacations included going on an Alaskan Cruise and going to Germany.

Bill was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Bill's favorites was Max, a German Shepherd dog. They were best friends for 12 years.

Bill passed away from complications from heart disease. He is survived by his brothers Ray Trede, sister Lorraine Znaniecki, sons Bill, Jim and Rob daughter in-laws, Sheila and Kimberly and grandkids Jake, Olivia, Dylan, Emmy, Abby and Jackson. Services were held at Palm Mortuary Northwest. Bill was laid to rest in Palm Mortuary Northwest in Las Vegas, Nevada.

He was a very competent person who expected competence from others. He could be headstrong and certain about the way things were supposed to be. He was determined in every aspect of his life and certain that he was usually right about things. He trusted his intuition over all else, even if it opposed the popular belief, and he had faith in his inner vision and speculations. He wanted to be acknowledged by others as having made a contribution to whatever he was working on. His family and friends will miss his fierce determination, relentless innovations and analytic mind. He leaves with all those who knew him many wonderful memories.