William Arthur Bame Jr.

Bame, William Arthur Jr.
12/14/1935 - 03/21/2014


William A. Bame Jr. of La Jolla passed away March 21, 2014, due to heart failure. He was 78.

Cutting his teeth in the banking business gave him the foundation and skills necessary to pursue his passion, which was home-building and real estate investing. Over the course of four decades, he constructed dozens of homes throughout San Diego County, was active in real estate finance, and owned several rental properties.

He was a fixture at South Mission Beach where he provided prime rental units for more than 30 years and befriended many of his clients.

Bill was born Dec. 14, 1935, in San Pedro, Calif., the only child of Navy Lt. William A. Bame Sr. and Virginia (Cicerchia) Bame. He grew up in Lemon Grove and was educated at Helix High School and the University of San Diego. He also earned a law degree from Bernadean University.

He served as a bat boy for the Pacific Coast League Padres in the early '50s. Rubbing elbows with such stars as Max West, Minnie Minoso and Harry Simpson at old Lane Field on Harbor Drive fueled his love of baseball. He played second base in high school and continued to follow the Triple A Padres and subsequently the big-league Padres through the years.

He regularly watch the Padres and Chargers on television, loved flowers and trees, and could never turn down a plate of spaghetti.

He was fascinated by politics and business law, and once considered running for Congress but decided he was having too much fun building houses and negotiating business deals.

Although he cut back in recent years due to failing health, he never retired and was pursuing real estate transactions until the end. He also was looking forward to his 60th reunion at Helix this fall.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents and ex-wife Delia (Carper) Aleto. He is survived by daughters Andrea Fink of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and Adrienne Hyvonen of Alpine; son William A. Bame III of Hidden Valley Lake, Calif.; and granddaughters Julia Hyvonen and Kayla Hyvonen of Alpine.

Bill was cremated. A memorial service will be held at a future date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Jude's Children's Hospital, his favorite charity.