Obituary of William Hambley

Dr. William (Bill) Hambley, ear surgeon and long time resident of the Lodi area, died on December 11, 2020 at the age of 92. Bill was born on Novmeber 26, 1928 in Merced, CA, a city he called home throughout his school years. After high school, Bill joined the Army and served in Korea then Japan, where he served with his identical twin, Harold “Hal” Hambley. When he returned, he graduated from Modesto Junior College and University of California, San Francisco with degrees as both a pharmacist and a medical doctor. He furthered his training with six years of ENT training, two years of head and neck surgery and a fellowship at the House Ear Institute in Los Angeles. Bill had six children and gained another three daughters when he married Marilyn Peters-Hambley in 1982. Bill is survived by his children Diane Hambley, Richard Hambley(Catherine), Lynn Hambley, Thomas Hambley, and Elizabeth Davis (Troy) as well as daughters Nicolle Alessi(Steve) and Lori Peters. He is also survived by his daughter-in-law Ruth Hambley and his grandchildren Nicholas Reddick(Rachel), Ryan Hambley(Brooke), Mitchell Hambley, Marin Hambley, Ruthie Wozniak(Erwin), William Hambley, Kirk Hambley(Kayla), Timothy Hambley (Alannah), Tara Spaans, Tyler Davis, Connor Davis, and Hailey Davis. He is also survived by great grandchildren Sawyer, Marlowe, Vincent, Theo, Zellie and Cooper. He is preceded in death by first wife Jane McConnell, his son Leland, step-daughter Leslie Mayer and his wife of 36 years Marilyn Hambley. Bill and his identical twin, Hal, passed away within 13 days of each other, both from natural causes. In addition to being a devoted father and husband to Marilyn, Bill enjoyed backpacking throughout the Sierras. He was frequently seen with a backpack full of heavy books walking around the neighborhood conditioning for his next big hike. He also enjoyed gardening and digging ditches by hand and rerouting sprinkler pipes throughout his yard. Bill had his medical practice over 40 years in Stockton, California and was sometimes known as the “gentle giant” with his 6’4” height and big hands skillfully performing microscopic surgery. His quick wit and dry sense of humor will be missed by all who knew him.