In memory of Bill Sharkey; Lake Chelan Chamber gala postponed to spring

CHELAN VALLEY — The Lake Chelan Valley lost a neighbor who seemed to have a hand in everything outdoors and a heart for everyone who crossed his path. Bill Sharkey passed away peacefully at his home in Manson, surrounded by family. In respect for Bill and his decades of support for local businesses and community life, the Lake Chelan Chamber of Commerce has postponed its Annual Member Gala, originally set for October 17. The event will be rescheduled for spring 2026.

If you’ve lived here long enough, you’ve likely met Bill on a chairlift meeting, at a shoreline work party, or at the trailhead with a thermos of cocoa and one more pair of gloves for whoever forgot theirs. Born in Hoquiam in 1937 and raised between Seattle and Portland, Bill studied Geography and Geology at the University of Oregon before building an adventurous life that never strayed far from water, mountains, and community service.

He started out ranching in Joseph, Oregon, and guiding in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. Summers found him patrolling Wallowa Lake for the sheriff’s office, the start of a lifelong love of boats and the people who gather around them. In Boardman, Oregon, he juggled trucking, farming and excavation while serving on the park, cemetery and port boards, the city council, and as a reserve deputy. Sundays were for towing kids and neighbors to Crow Butte to ski on the Columbia, the Sharkey version of church and potluck.

Bill moved to Manson in 1998 and, true to form, went right back to sharing the place he loved. He launched a jet ski and boat rental in summer, then turned snow into smiles with Sharkey’s Snowmobiles & Tours each winter. He was the only US Forest Service–licensed snowmobile outfitter operating out of the Chelan Ranger District, tailoring trips for families from across the country and around the world. His signature routes climbed from the Antilon Lake snowpark over Cooper Mountain to Echo Valley — or out to a warming hut, where he’d build a fire, heat water for cocoa and cider, and point out the basin’s landmarks when the clouds gave way. Safety was non-negotiable; fun was inevitable.

Around town, Bill showed up where it mattered: cheering the addition of Echo Valley’s tubing hill, helping Manson Parks secure lifeguard chairs, teaching a snowmobile skills class at Manson High School, and serving on local waterfront and homeowners’ boards. He had a gift for mentoring kids into their first jobs and young adults into real responsibility. He cherished weekly coffee-and-story sessions at the Rio Vista cabin and later in Navarre Coulee, pistachios in pocket. He loved evening cruises, Storm and Seahawks games, and a daily appointment with Gunsmoke at 1 o’clock. Each March, he made time for deep-snow days around Mt. Bachelor and Eagle Crest, tending sleds and friendships with equal care.

There are people who talk about community, and there are people who make it. Bill made it — with a mapmaker’s eye for terrain, a guide’s instinct for safety, and a neighbor’s habit of showing up. The Chamber extends its deepest sympathies to the Sharkey family and to the many friends who called Bill their own. Details on the rescheduled Annual Member Gala will be shared in the new year.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media