Bill Eagle, June 4, 1952, to Jan. 29, 2024, was an unassuming man of few words with a gentle, open heart and a sweet southern accent. Shy yet observant, he had a ready laugh among close friends and was well-known for his comfortable hugs.
He loved researching recipes and preparing meals for guests he greeted while wiping his hands on a well-worn, stained apron.
Besides home, his favorite place was on land north of Blanca that he and his wife Patricia bought in 2004. "Graceland," as they call this acreage, prompted them to move to the San Luis Valley in 2012, where they could watch expansive Valley views and the Milky Way from around a warm fire.
William Joseph Eagle was born in Little Rock, Ark. He dropped out of school in the ninth grade and got a job at a bowling alley/pool hall where — while playing pool on his breaks — he learned pool so well that customers paid him to play them.
After starting a young family at 16, Bill worked hard and never once failed in his child support responsibilities. He took a job with a printer and, for the next 40 years, worked in the printing industry, from newspapers to later installing web presses throughout the U.S. and in France.
In 2004, he purchased Quality Knife and Supply (QKS) in Denver, an industrial knife sharpening business where he sharpened paper cutters to saw blades for school districts, construction businesses, state prisons, CDOT, and printers who used guillotine blades.
After closing QKS, Bill started ACME mobile sharpening business and worked with salons, vets, surgeons, and more. Whether at QKS or ACME, customers often commented on his reliability, precision, and how darn nice he was to work with.
Bill died with grace at home eight months after a diagnosis of high-grade, invasive bladder cancer and making the difficult decision to not pursue surgery or treatment.
Patricia survives Bill, after a relationship of 33 years, along with son and wife Shawn and Cynthia Eagle of Denton, Texas, and grandsons Robbie and Sammy; son Billy and granddaughter Kayla; and two brothers and a sister in North Little Rock.
His and Patricia's local and distant friends — who comforted and helped Bill in his last months — were as important as family to him.
Any donations to the Rio Grande Farm Park in Bill Eagle’s name will honor the farmers from whom Bill regularly purchased fresh produce for his tasty homecooked meals.
