William H. "Bill" Comley
August 2, 1954 ~ December 4, 2020
William H. Comley “Bill,” passed away suddenly on December 4, 2020 at the age of 66. Bill was a lifelong resident of Wichita, KS and was born to Henry Lassen and Mary Frances Comley on August 2, 1954.
The Comley family settled in the College Hill area and Bill attended area schools. Bill was an East High School graduate of 1973 and a Wichita State University graduate.
Bill was part of the 1973 Reunion Committee for the past 47 years and was the resident photographer for the Class. He loved his memories of High School and embraced his Classmates as family, as they did him as well.
Bill had wonderful memories of him and his brother Jim, working at the most popular dance club of the 70’s and 80’s, Pogo’s, located near Twin Lakes. Promoting nickel pitchers of beer and free admission for the ladies and introducing up and coming new bands like Pat Benatar and Van Halen. Pogo’s became “the place to go” for a whole generation of young people, and as Manager, Bill made many lifelong friends who still talk about Pogo’s today.
Bill had a special love and fascination with all things Vornado, as in the Vornado Fan Company of Wichita, KS. Bill was an avid collector and well known throughout the country for his ability to completely rebuild and restore Vornado fans.
For many years, Bill was the bookkeeper for the family ranch in SE Kansas. Bill loved to spend time at the ranch where he honed his photography skills to a fine art. Traveling throughout the Flint Hills, he built an amazing portfolio of photographs, including timeless black and white photos, that enriched the lives of us all, as he proudly shared them on Facebook. Bill had so many wonderful memories of growing up in the College Hill area and stayed in touch with cousins and childhood friends through the years.
He had an appreciation of things well made, and you would often find him driving down Douglas in his vintage VW bus, or riding his bicycle downtown along the river.
He had fond memories of Sanborn Western Camp in Colorado and was excited to attend some reunions over the last few years where he was able to catch up with old friends.
So many people have called, texted and emailed to share their sadness of Bill’s passing, but the common adjectives that were shared by those who commented, gave remembrance of Bill as a nice guy, thoughtful, kind, always fun to talk to, always happy to see you and someone that everyone remembered as a wonderful man. He had his innate curiosity that endeared him to so many of us, as he would take interest in other people’s lives and desire to learn more about others with sincere interest. Bill was a humble person, never boastful, and a man of his word with a heart of gold. Those of us who knew Bill, know we are better people for having him in our lives, and thankful for the time we had together through the years.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Henry L. and Mary F. Comley; his brother, Charles A. Comley. Survived by his brothers, Joseph A. (Brenda) Comley and James F. Comley; sisters, Teresa L. Henry and Mary C. (Teresa) Comley; as well as many nieces and nephews that loved Uncle Bill dearly.
Due to Covid-19, a memorial will be planned for a later date.
Memorials may be made to Colorado Outdoor Education Center, 2000 Old Stage Rd., Florissant, CO 80816.
Services in care of Downing & Lahey East Mortuary.
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My most sincere condolences to the family and friends, of which there are many, for the loss of this wonderful man. I’m very lucky to have had a friend in Bill. May he Rest In Peace and comfort. I don’t think he had any idea the number of lives he touched and how much people cared about him. He will definitely be missed.
Very sorry to hear of Bills passing. He was a great customer of mine over the years and I have known him since hi school probably. RIP Bill. My sympathies to the family. Greg Hesse
Bill I am so happy that I had you as a wonderful friend. You will be greatly missed. I was so looking forward to our road trip. Guess I will have to find you in Heaven. RIP my dear friend. Lou Ann Losie classmate of East High class of 73
Bill will truly be missed. He was always so kind to talk to. Known him for such a long time. From the famous Pogo’s to a shoe store we had. Rest In Peace Bill! See you again. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Comley family. 🙏🙏
I first met Bill after I came home from Vietnam and worked at Pogos as a bouncer. Bill was so kind and very interested in my time in the service especially Vietnam. After years gone by, I reconnected with Bill through Facebook and so enjoyed our conversations and simply following him and his adventures whether on a trail ride, his Vornado enthusiasm (I have a vintage Vornado 1947) that we discussed about refurbishing but we never got to it. Of late Bill was very concerned for me as I now have cancer from being exposed to Agent Orange while in Vietnam. Bill would always ask how I was doing, encouraging me and letting me know he would pray for me. I have known and know a lot of people in my 67 years; I can truthfully say never have a met a person so kind, nice, caring, thoughtful and genuinely interested in the other person than Bill Comley. Never. This world could use a lot more Bill Comleys and tragically we have lost the Bill Comley that set the bar for what it means to be an honest? Kind and caring human being. Bill’s last message to me on FB was a few days before he passed; he wanted me to know he was praying for me and that all would work out. I will miss Bill, his smile, his kindness, his thoughtfulness and all of his adventures that he took us on through FB.
I got to meet Bill for the first time when I worked at Pogo’s. Ever since I got to know Bill he was a super man! He was one of those you are proud to call a “Friend.”
Bill was the best of us. The class of ‘73 mourns our loss. He truly was all of the things mentioned in his obituary. A solid friendly friend with a big heart. Bill shared my passion for photography and we always had great conversations around that subject whenever we met. His excellence in image making was evident in all the photos he posted. He was particularly proud of the time he spent learning about photography with the late highly respected photographer, Steve Harper. Bill was one of those rare people who was always a pleasure to encounter in the humdrum of a day, he always left me feeling better about everything.
You will be greatly missed by many! Never was there a kinder man! Thank you for teaching me about photography!
I knew Bill from varying points-in-time and circumstances. I first met him through common friends and acquaintances in high school. Though I attended Southeast and Bill attended East, I recall fun Fourth of July gatherings at the Hesse ranch where there was a co-mingled bunch from both schools and Kapaun. We shared an interest in Vornado. I remember running into Bill at Williams Hardware – undoubtedly his (and my) favorite store. This was late ’88 or ’89 and I was part of the team reviving the brand. He was excited to see the prototype of the new Vornado I shared with him. He was supremely knowledgeable about the brand and a talented restoration specialist! I crossed paths with Bill bicycling on the Red Bud Trail about 5-years ago. We visited about bikes and other stuff for 20 minutes. I saw him one Sunday at the spring event where Douglas is closed from College Hill to Seneca. In a follow-up FB message, he said he’d gone over his handlebars in front of East trying to avoid a pedestrian! On the day of his passing, I messaged Bill about the season 3 series finale of “Yellowstone.” He was a fan of the show and we’d traded a few messages about the story, plot, characters and subtext. By my way of thinking, Bill exhibited the Cowboy Way – solid character, integrity, humility along with a love, respect and reverence for the land.
Heaven has gained a wonderful gentleman. You will be missed here on earth.
I am proud to have known Bill for about 20 years. I was the curator for the antique fan museum when it was in the Vornado facility in Andover, Ks. Bill was a great friend to everyone, extremely personable and knowledgeable. I am shocked and saddened by this loss (far, far too early!). My condolences to his family. Alan W.
Bill was always fun. I sat with him in many classes at Blessed Sacrament. Bill will always be in my memory.
Bill was such a nice guy. I’m so glad we were friends. We’ll always have New Year’s in Alma Ata, a sleigh ride in Moscow, dinner in NYC, and so many conversations = Thanks for the memories. Rest in Peace, Bill. I miss you. Judy Vaughan