William "Bill" A. Corkran

William “Bill” Arthur Corkran (68) was born in Tucson, Arizona, on February 7, 1957, to Frank and June Corkran. He grew up with his siblings Lynn and Lee, running around and exploring Arizona and Hawaii. He graduated from Catalina High School in 1975 and joined the Air Force on April 23, 1976. His Air Force career took him to Minot, North Dakota, where he was a SCHRAM missile specialist on the B-52 bombers. Here he met his soulmate and his Forever and Always, Rhonda. They lived in many states and finally settled in Tucson, Arizona in 1992 to raise their family. He flew to the stars on the morning of June 16, 2025 with his family surrounding him.

Bill always loved every aspect of science fiction. A collector of anything Star Trek related since the 1960’s while the television show aired. “Live long and prosper” was his favorite Spock saying. When Star Wars debuted in May of 1977, he was immediately hooked on it as well. His favorite character was Darth Vader, an imagery he carried with him always.

Bill always cherished and loved his family along with his family of animals throughout the years. He always made sure the bird feeders were always filled for the enjoyment of watching them come and be in our yard. So many different types of Humming Birds were his favorite to watch and see in the front window. The quail and their little families always brought a smile to his face. His special girls that we adopted in January of 2023 Dot and Bandit always made him feel special and well loved. They truly fulfilled his love for animals as they always showed him unconditional love.

His love for Rock music started at an early age as well. Living in Hawaii when Elton John, Queen and many others hit the top of the music charts, meant that your vinyl order would take up to six weeks to arrive, but he persevered and gladly awaited their arrival. When the kids were younger, he made sure that we had “Antique Rock Night” quite often, introducing them to the world of Rock and Roll. To this day his favorites are some of their favorites and their foundations for the music they share with their own children. He left an amazing vintage vinyl collection for our enjoyment for years to come.

Bill was an avid hiker and loved the outdoors even in the heat of the Arizona summer. His favorite spot for many, many years was Tanque Verde Falls and the canyon. He would spend many hours working in the yard and of course taking care of the pool for many years as he loved the sunshine and just communing with nature.

Bill was always intrigued by the advancements in science and technology and always had an interest in the Ancient Alien studies and how their presence was always felt. He always joked about being an alien himself. As he was approaching the end of life on this realm, we advised him that if his spaceship arrived to be sure to go aboard and be free to travel the universe uninhibited by the conditions of his present body on earth. He took flight and we are sure he is enjoying all the new experiences of the Universe.

He was very accepting of who you were and what was important to you in life. He was a book of wisdom from interests and research, always learning, looking at everything in different ways, and telling of his own experiences. The latter part of his life, he enjoyed being surrounded by his family, usually 16 – 20 at family events. Birthday parties, family get-togethers, kid sports games, game nights, and holidays were frequent throughout the years. He is remembered through his favorite music and movies, his love for birds who, we believe, will pay little visits to look in on his family from time to time, and passing along his love for hiking to his children. He always made sure that his kids knew how proud he was of them.

Bill is preceded in death by his grandparents, father and mother.

Left to cherish his memory are his loving wife of 45 years, Rhonda and his wonderful children, Rhiannon (James) Wise and their three daughters, Brianna, Audrey, and Jamie. Morgan (Brady) Kolenovsky and their children, Logan, Rhandi, and Kaylynn, with Kaylynn’s four boys, Adrian, Aaron, Weston, and Easton. Jana (Jacob) Beckel and their children, Alice, Gabriel, and Caliban. Jared with his fiancée, Jennifer and her three children, Alex, Jaelyn, and Stevie. His stepmother, Sandi Corkran, his sister, Lynn London and his brother, Lee Corkran. Many cousins on his side of the family and was loved deeply by all members of Rhonda’s family.

He was a loved brother, husband and soulmate, father, grandpa, and great grandpa.

The celebration of his wonderful life filled with all his favorite music, family and friends will be held from 4:00 - 6:00 PM, Sunday, October 12, 2025 at Fort Lowell Park, 2900 N. Craycroft Road, Tucson.