Boulder City loses a leader

William G. "Bill" Ferrence Jr., 67, who built Boulder Dam Credit Union into the leading financial institution in Boulder City, died Sunday after a two-year battle with bladder cancer.

"He was probably the most beloved person in Boulder City. I think the whole city is in mourning," former County Commissioner Bruce Woodbury said. "He just always had a smile on his face."

"He was a community activist, a person who really cared for Boulder City," former Boulder City Mayor Bob Ferraro said. Ferraro said he could walk into Ferrence's office anytime, discuss and often find a resolution to a city issue.

"We lost an icon and a gentleman," said Eric Estes, executive vice president of the credit union.

The credit union, which was established in 1940, had about $1 million in assets when Ferrence joined it as assistant manager in 1974. He became manager the following year and had held the position ever since.

Under Ferrence's leadership, the credit union became the dominant financial institution in the city with 90 percent of the residents members and more than half of all bank and credit union deposits in the city. The credit union has $485 million in assets.

Ferrence instituted a program of charging 12 percent on all residential mortgage loans and then allowing the board to decide how much to refund to members each quarter.

He was past president of the Boulder City Museum and Historical Society, which is housed in the Boulder Dam Hotel. About a dozen years ago, Ferrence worked with other civic leaders to acquire the hotel so that it could be preserved. It is now on the National Registry of Historic Places.

The credit union also sponsored hundreds of community events and programs, such as Little League, Woodbury said.

Ferrence was born on July 15, 1943, in Dubois, Pa., and grew up in Mercer, Pa. He graduated in 1965 with a degree in finance at the University of Notre Dame where he was a two-time all-American fencer. After graduating, he worked at Sinclair Oil in Chicago and then switched to Tucson Teachers Credit Union in 1972. He and his family moved to Boulder City in 1974.

"We came for a visit and moved here within days," said his wife, Cheryl Ferrence. "We immediately knew Boulder City was our home."

He received commendations from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Sen. John Ensign and former Reps. Jon Porter and Jim Gibbons.

He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Cheryl; his two sons, Will and Jim Ferrence; sisters Mary Duciome and Roseanne Shoaff; and grandchildren Billy, Carmela, Jack and Giacomo, all of whom reside in Southern Nevada.

A celebration of Ferrence's life will be at 5 p.m. Dec. 11 at the Boulder Dam Hotel. The family asks that donations be made to the Boulder City Museum, in care of the credit union.