William John Hackett passed away on Feb. 4, 2026 in Hermiston at the age of 78.
He was born on March 1, 1947 in Yakima, Wash. to William James Hackett and Monica Maisen.
William began his military service with the United States Coast Guard, serving for four years before transferring to the United States Navy where he served for 18 years. While in the service, William worked as an avionic technician.
Once his time in the military came to an end, William went back to college in Seattle, Wash. and started his own business as a shipwright, working on large sail boats, yachts, and power boats. William enjoyed working on fiberglass boats and was known to be an excellent fiberglass fabricator. William had a love for helping people, and one of many ways he did this was by teaching a fiberglass fabrication class for those who wanted to learn the trade.
William married his wife, Marsha Frazier on Nov. 11, 1975 in Seattle, Wash., and they were happily married for nearly 51 years before his passing. In 1977, they welcomed their first and only child, Patricia.
In 2009, William and Marsha sold their business and moved back to Yakima, Wash. to care for William’s mother. While living in Yakima, William began working for a movie company as a custom builder who built pieces of equipment for their sets. They stayed in the Yakima area for 14 years before moving to Hermiston in June 2023 to be closer to their daughter.
William was a man who was always on the move! He had many hobbies, a few being photography, microscope repairing, reading and writing. He will be remembered as the smartest man, a very loving and proud father and grandfather, a wonderful husband and great provider, and was one who never said no to helping someone in need.
William will be greatly missed by all that knew him, but especially by his family.
William is survived by his wife, Marsha Hackett; daughter, Patricia Stoltman (Terry); and grandson, Connor Stoltman.
William was preceded in death by his father, William James Hackett and mother, Monica Hackett.
There are no services to be announced at this time.
