Bill Dale Colby, Artist, Educator
OBITUARY from Tacoma News Tribune
Following a gradual decline in health, and missing his wife Trudi, Bill Dale Colby, Professor emeritus of Art at the University of Puget Sound, died at home on Friday, April 19, 2019. Colby, 92, born January 8, 1927, in Beloit, Kansas, to Nellie Dell Lawson and Bert Colby. Bill grew up with 11 siblings, and attended Beloit High School.
Colby reflected on his lifetime of creative work: “Nature is a guiding force in my work…I love my life and making visual art.”
Colby’s physical and creative life ran the gamut of the natural elements he spent over 75 years observing and representing in art forms across many mediums.
FIRE-- Bill worked with his family candling hen-house eggs during The Depression, while displaying an aptitude for drawing. The flames of WWII propelled him to Germany in 1945. Passion for art was ignited, and Colby earned a B.A., Univ. of Denver, 1950 and M.A., Univ. of Illinois, 1954. He blazed a trail west and taught jewelry-making in at Grant High School Portland.
Bill married Trudi Bednorz in 1955 and started family life in Tacoma; their love radiated for 63 years until Trudi died in 2017.
WATER--Raising four daughters influenced Colby’s creative ebb and flow. The Colbys enjoyed outdoor activities throughout the northwest and coastal adventures. The family joined university student groups touring museums and studios on travel trips around Europe. Colby’s family remains interested in arts or crafts endeavors.
EARTH--Colby’s canvases adorn walls around the world, in embassies overseas and collections in Washington, D.C., in local schools, art museums, corporations, libraries, and hundreds of private homes. Bill was grounded by 33 years of printmaking and art history classes at UPS. He contributed to the foundation of the Tacoma Art Museum as an early Director. Colby rocked the Northwest art community, which called him, “the quietest seminal force in Puget Sound Art.”
AIR--Bill and Trudi traveled widely before and after retirement, on cruises, educational tours, and visiting family. Colby’s air was filled with tree birds, stairways, and energy. He took art touring trips with groups to Japan and China. Colby took a solo trip through India, returning motivated and inspired by the many patterns and colors from the vast country’s arts and architecture.
Accolades for artistic accomplishment include “Who’s Who in American Art,” “Who’s Who in the West,” and the “Excellence in the Arts” award from Pierce County Arts Commission.
Bill and Trudi are survived by daughters Andrea Smith (Rodger), Sara Colby (Mike), Lisa Anderson (Anthony), and Celia Zielaskowski (Vance), grand-children, Alexa Johnson (Aaron) and Austin Smith (Carleen), and great grand-daughters Colby Gene and EvaMarie Johnson.
Donations to the Bill Colby Art Scholarship are appreciated at any time. It is awarded annually. Your annual pledge continues the Colby legacy. Thank you.
University of Puget Sound Art Department
https://www.pugetsound.edu/support-puget-sound/special-gifts-to-puget-sound/ or 1-866-Go-Loggers (1-866-465-6443).
Mail: Bill Colby Art Scholarship, Office of Donor Relations CMB 1011, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA 98416-1011.
Tacoma News Tribune, May 1, 2019
Additional observances, comments, and photos at www.edwardsmemorial.com