The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG-The Celebration Days Committee will honor Bill and Linda Stonecipher as the 2023 Parade Marshals this year. The couple are fourth-generation farmers related to Waitsburg's early pioneer families.

When Bill was young, he was involved in 4H, FFA, and activities on his family's farm. As an adult, he was on the FFA Advisory Board for many years. He attended Waitsburg Schools, later graduating from St. Patrick's High School, Walla Walla, in 1958. Bill graduated from Seattle University in 1963 with a Bachelor's in Commercial Science.

Bill worked in agriculture, including marketing and sales. Notably, he was the Chairman of the Board of Dry Pea & Lentil Council, served on USDA government committees, as well as a member of Northwest Grain Growers, Walla Walla County Cattleman's Association, and served on the Columbia REA Board of Directors for 17 years.

Linda's paternal great-great-grandfather, Daniel Harris, settled on the Lower Whetstone in the early 1880s. Her maternal great-grandfather, G. W. Loundagin, homesteaded on the lower Coppei near Waitsburg in 1863. He later built the Royal Block Hotel and Mercantile in the 1880s. Linda's parents, Gus Harris and Evelyn Loundagin Harris, were involved community members in Waitsburg. Her father, Gus, was on the first board of the Bruce House & Renovations.

In 1958, Linda was a Days of Real Sports royalty court member, graduating from Waitsburg High School that spring. She graduated from WSU in 1962 with a degree in Office Administration. Over the years, Linda provided clerical work to the Junior Livestock Show and was a member of Chapter BE PEO and the Walla Walla County Cowbelles. Today she remains actively involved in her church as a Board Member/Trustee and as the Historian.  

Bill and Linda married in 1963 and returned to the area to farm with his parents. They had two daughters, Suzanne and Carrie, and three grandsons, Ryan, Alex, and Sean. They supported their daughters in 4-H, FFA, Rainbow Girls, and school activities. Bill even taught Sunday School. 

The couple mentored many teenagers and young adults, teaching them about farming, hay and wheat harvesting, and their work ethic. They also shared their extensive knowledge of local history, including offering demonstrations at the Waitsburg Fall Festival.

Bill passed away on October 31, 2022, only a few months before the couple's 60th wedding anniversary on Jan 6, 2023.

"It is an honor to be selected as Celebration Days Parade Marshals," said Linda Stoncipher.