WILLIAM T. "BILL" YEATES, 57, passed away Jan. 23, 2018.
Bill was born July 25, 1960, in Shreveport, LA. He was
preceded in death by his father, Edwin C. Yeates, Jr.,
who died before Bill was born, his mother, Barbara T.
Yeates Thames, and his stepfather, Earl G. Thames.
He is survived by his loving wife, Laura, son Austin,
and twin daughters, Summer and Jessie, all of Raleigh;
his brothers, Ed Yeates of Yellville, AR, and Glenn
Thames of Tyler, TX, and numerous nieces, nephews,
cousins, and in-laws.
Bill grew up in Natchitoches, LA. A real life Tom
Sawyer, Bill spent his childhood exploring the waters
and woods surrounding the oldest settlement in the
entire Louisiana Purchase territory. From a very
early age, Bill loved being in and on the water. As
a youngster, Bill was a champion swimmer who set
multiple AAU records, and when he wasn’t swimming,
he was fishing, water skiing, & hunting for antique
bottles along the banks of the Cane River.
An excellent student, Bill graduated from Louisiana
Tech University with bachelor’s degrees in Electrical
Engineering and Finance as well as an MBA. Thereafter,
Bill enjoyed a successful career in business, traveling
the globe and holding executive positions with several
companies. Most notably, Bill served as President and
CEO of Power-One, a publicly traded power electronics
company that enjoyed great success under Bill’s leader-
ship, at one point becoming a member of the S&P 500.
However, Bill’s true loves were family, friends, and
fishing. A devoted husband and father, Bill loved
spending time with Laura and his children, of whom he
was incredibly proud, and with whom he shared many
adventures. Indeed, for Bill, all of life was an
adventure. Brilliant, funny, and completely fearless,
Bill had a knack for making indelible memories. While
he has left this world on yet another adventure, he
has left behind a long list of best friends with a
boatload of stories to share.