William A “Bill” Settle, 65, of Kountze died December 23, 2009 after a lengthy illness.  Bill was born in Beaumont, Texas on August 5, 1944 to Tom C. and Tallulah Ercelle (Rankin) Settle.  Bill was a 1962 graduate of French High School and a 1967 graduate of Lamar University with Bachelor of Science degrees in Electrical Engineering and Math.

Following college, Bill went to work in the design and manufacture of integrated circuits in California’s Silicon Valley.  He worked for about ten years with several companies including Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) in California, and then moved to his beloved second home of Hawaii.  He worked for several companies on Oahu and Maui and for the State of Hawaii on their Lunar Research Project on Maui.  He was also employed by an engineering firm in Plano, Texas where he retired and moved back to his favorite Hawaiian island of Kauai.  With failing health, he spent his last two years near family and friends in Southeast Texas.

He is survived by his two brothers, Thomas E. Settle and Lewis H. McNeely of Kountze; two granddaughters, Ashton and Brittney Simon; grandson, Colby Simon of Ottawa, Kansas; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and son, Bryan Simon.

A private memorial service celebrating his life will be conducted at a later date. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Broussard’s in Kountze.

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that memorial contributions be made to Kountze Public Library, 800 S. Redwood Ave., Kountze, Texas  77625, American Heart Association, P.O. Box 7015, Beaumont, Texas  77726, or to a charity of choice.