[ Originally published on: Thursday, December 04, 2008 ]
BONDVILLE, Vt. -- William Raymond Avison, 85, of Bondville, passed away on Friday, Nov. 28, 2008, in Myrtle Beach, S.C., after a brief illness.
Born on May 30, 1923 in Greenfield, Mass., Bill was the son of Evelyn and Raymond Avison. He received his education from Deerfield Academy.
Bill was in the 10th Mountain Division of the Army during World War II. Later, he owned and operated a hotel in Lake Placid, N.Y., before moving back to Greenfield, and worked as a representative for various ski companies. In 1970, he moved to Bondville.
He married Dana Giles on Aug. 10, 1972. In 1973, they started the business, Down Under, which they ran until 1987. During that time, he was also a caretaker for homes in Stratton. After retiring, he drove the Birch Hill shuttle bus during the winter months.
In his earlier years, Bill was a ski jumper and continued to be an avid skier. He was an International Ski Federation ski jumping judge and was the Chief Measurer for ski jumping in the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid. He was a founding member of the Trail Blazers Club at Stratton and is in the Vermont Ski Hall of Fame.
He also loved to skydive and was a longtime skydiver at the Orange (Mass.) Sport Parachuting Center. He also started and participated in the para-skiing races at Stratton.
Bill loved to travel with his wife in their motor home and during the past years, they spent time camping in Myrtle Beach.
He leaves his wife, Dana; a son, Stephen Avison and his wife Debra; three granddaughters and two great-grandchildren. Bill also leaves one sister, Martha Woodson of Raleigh, N.C.
He was predeceased by his daughter, Lucinda.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, Dec. 13 at the Second Congregational Church in Londonderry at 2 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Second Congregational Church, P.O. Box 77, Londonderry, VT 05148.