Photos
Owner of Pilkey Financial Planning Services and an advocate for senior citizens, William B. Pilkey III made a weekly appearance before the Thurston County Commissioners, posing questions and sharing his perspectives on the county. He routinely attended several other government meetings throughout the county.
He was also the president of Thurston County Taxpayers Association and ran for several local offices, including fire commissioner and Thurston County treasurer as an independent democrat.
“It was a terrible shock to us,” Hyde said Tuesday afternoon. She was married to Pilkey for 23 years.
Hyde took Pilkey to the doctor on Wednesday. She said he was taken to the emergency room. After a series of tests, doctors discovered a “mass the size of a baseball” above his stomach and blood clots.
Hyde said the blood clots are believed to be the cause of a stroke Pilkey suffered in July.
“The doctor told him about the mass and said it was inoperable,” Hyde said. “I asked her for a time frame, and she said two days to two weeks. “He wanted to die at home, so we came home and he died within 19 to 20 hours after.”
Hyde said Pilkey died “peacefully” at 5 p.m. Thursday.
Pilkey is survived by his daughter, Sable Pilkey of California and son, William B. Pilkey IV, of Lacey, Hyde said.
A funeral is being planned for Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012 at Woodlawn Funeral home in Lacey.
“We’re probably going to have a pretty big funeral,” Hyde said. “So many people know him and he was well respected in the community.”
