Charles "Bill" Hutchinson, Jr. Obituary (1944 - 2024)

Charles William “Bill” Hutchinson, Jr., was born on March 18, 1944, in Prineville, Oregon. Known to many as "Hutch", he passed away on December 27, 2024, at his residence in John Day, Oregon, at the age of 80. Born to Charles William Hutchinson, Sr. and Gladys Marie (Tuthill) Hutchinson, he grew up in Prineville and has one older sister, Elizabeth Ann “Betty” Hutchinson. He started school in a one-room country schoolhouse since his mom was the teacher. He graduated from Crook County High School in 1962. He was very involved in the wrestling program while in high school. Bill and his father assisted with the high school wrestling team training program after he graduated. He spent one-year taking college classes in Bend before enrolling in an apprenticeship program to become a country printer. His father was already in the newspaper and printing business when he was in high school, so Bill worked there mostly sweeping the floor. The shop had bought a brand-new Linotype machine and it would squirt hot lead out randomly, sometimes onto a person. Ouch!! They called the factory several times and nobody could fix it. Bill figured out the problem and took the machine apart. His father panicked about it all being apart and said, “The factory boys don’t even do that.” Bill said, “Hold on, hold on. I will have it fixed.” It never squirted hot lead again. Not too long out of high school, Bill and Bill Quant owned a matching set of 1963 Mercury Comets. There are many stories about the two Bills and these cars, as well as many others involved. You know who you are!! Bill owned many printing businesses through the years, the first one being Hutchinson Photo & Printing Co. in Prineville. In 1975, he moved to Enterprise and worked for the newspaper & print shop there. He took a break from printing for a couple years and went to work in the NAPA Auto Parts machine shop rebuilding engines. Next, in 1978, he purchased a print shop in Heppner. While living in Heppner, he was a key figure in starting the St. Patrick’s Day celebration, which continues to this day. His goal as a printer was to get people to spend their money locally. He printed Hutch’s Helper Want Ads weekly before turning it into the Morrow County Pioneer. After his father became ill he bought the same print shop he had sold many years before so he could move back to Prineville to be close to his dad. After his own father's passing, he moved the printing business to John Day, where he also started a motorcycle map business called Come Ride With Us Motorcycle Maps. The first edition of the map was printed in 2004. He was in the process of selling this business when he passed. His dream was for the maps to continue. He was a volunteer firefighter in Prineville and Heppner. He belonged to the Elks Club, and he and his wife belonged to a square dance club. They were regular attendees at the Episcopal Church. His hobbies have included motorcycle riding, four-wheeling with Jeeps. He started several Jeep clubs in the different places he lived throughout his life. He moved to four-wheelers and mules as his later hobbies. He enjoyed camping and hunting. Bill was also an avid reader of many western authors including Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey. He could boast he had watched every John Wayne movie ever made, several times. He had explored most of the roads on his motorcycle maps. Bill was married three times and has six children as a result. Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Linda, and also by his parents. He has 11 grandchildren and many great-grandchildren. He never met a stranger and will be missed by many friends, and the motorcycling community. SERVICES— We are planning several get-togethers throughout the year to celebrate Bill “Hutch" Hutchinson. In MARCH we are planning (but not confirmed) to have a tribute to him in Heppner at the St. Patrick’s Day Coffee Hour held upstairs at the Elks Club. That afternoon, in Heppner, we will be watching the bull riding with cousin Wyatt competing. In JUNE we will have a tribute to Bill at the annual Bike Blessing event in John Day that he started in 2022. This SUMMER we will have a potluck at a park in Prineville. This SUMMER we will meet in Enterprise to scatter Bill & Linda’s ashes at a special spot in the woods. DATES have not been set. We will publish those dates as they are confirmed.