Prunk, William 'Bill' Henry 80 01/01/1930 05/22/2010 William "Bill" Prunk passed away at home May 22, 2010. He was 80 years old. Born in Portland to William Henry Prunk Sr. and Oneida "Matthies" Prunk, Bill began a lifetime of public service by convincing his mother to sign-off on enlistment papers, with an erroneous date of birth, and joined the Oregon National Guard shortly after his 15th birthday.

After graduating from Washington High School in 1948, he enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving as a tank driver in the 2nd Division, 9th Regiment. In February 1953 Bill joined the Portland Police Bureau and was promoted to detective in 1962, specializing in homicide investigations. An expert marksman on the Portland Police Bureau's pistol team, he won several individual and team championships.

After retiring from the police bureau he sold real estate before starting his own private investigation firm, attaining certification to conduct court-appointed death penalty homicide investigations. A charter member of the International Homicide Investigators Association, he was the lead investigator in over 200 cases during his long and distinguished career before retiring in 2000. 

In 1953 he met and married Bonnie Jean Satterlee, the love of his life, raising three children and living his entire life on Taylors Ferry Road in Portland. He was an avid fisherman and enjoyed fishing at his home at Fishhawk Lake, as well as the rivers and lakes of Oregon, Washington, and Alaska. 

A founder and charter member of the Multnomah Elks Lodge, he served as exalted ruler and chaired the Elk's state scholarship committee. Devoted to his family, he loved making every holiday a special event. He was a Little League baseball coach, scoutmaster for Pack 221, and could be counted on to help out his children and grandchildren with all of their activities. 

Bill is survived by his wife, Bonnie; children, Bruce (wife, Jan), Cheri Brown (husband, Tom), and Dawn Sarvis (partner, Phil); grandsons, Bill Winters (wife, Julie) and Justin Prunk (wife, Sarah); granddaughter, Lisa Winters-Burns (husband, Travis); and great-grandchildren, Kaleb, Max, Finley, and Ellie. 

Memorial services and a celebration of Bill's life were held Friday, May 28, 2010. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Portland Police Bureau's Sunshine Division, 687 N. Thompson St., Portland, OR 97227-1820.