William H. Hatch

William Henry Hatch was born January 7, 1934 in Enid, Oklahoma to Clare Eugene and Winifred Madge Fisher Hatch. Bill graduated from high school and from Phillips University in Enid. After college, he went to work as an engineer with Schlumberger Oil Survey Corporation and was employed by them until being drafted into the United States Army. He first came to the El Paso Area with the military in 1956 and was stationed at White Sands Proving Grounds. In 1958, he married his wife, Merrielee Rackele of Price, Utah. Upon leaving the Army, he returned to work for Schlumberger. He and his wife lived in Evansville, Indiana; Wichita, Kansas; and Perryton, Texas before settling in the El Paso Area in 1963. He worked as a research physicist with the Department of Defense at White Sands Missile Range until his retirement. He returned to his Heavenly Father on March 3, 2011. He was preceded in death by his parents; his sister, Elzora Gates; and his granddaughter, Michelle Hatch. He is survived by his wife, Merrielee; sons: Alan (Victoria), Greg, Mark (Rebecca), and daughter, Stefani Whitmer (Shawn); grandchildren: Cassidy, Justin, Ryan, William, Kevin, Kaitlyn, Brittany, Brandon, Kylee, Brooklyn, and Nathan; great-grandchildren: Kristyna, Jazlyn, and Devon; and sisters: Helen Matthews and Norma Rose Lile. Visitation will be held from 6-9 p.m., Monday, March 7, 2011 at Sunset Funeral Home Northeast. Funeral Services will begin at 10 a.m., Tuesday, March 8, 2011 at Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, 5510 Hondo Pass. Interment will follow at Evergreen Cemetery East.