William Vanatta

Services are scheduled at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20, at Terpening Son Chapel for William Edward Vanatta, 21 Gary Drive, Artesia, New Mexico.

Mr. Vanatta, 45, died Sunday, November 11, 2012 at Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock, Texas.

Leo Pennington will officiate at the services with burial at Woodbine Cemetery.

Visitation will be at Terpening Son Mortuary beginning at 10 a.m. Monday.

William was born August 27, 1967 in Grants, New Mexico the son of Samuel VanAtta and June Helton VanAtta. He was a longtime Artesia resident.

In 2004 he was married to Julie Baxter in Carlsbad, N.M.

On saturday morning Bill and his lifelong love of his life, were out doing what Bill loved to do. Hunt arrow heads. With no thought or warning that on this day our Lord would come to call Bill home. All of knew him as Wild Bill. A crazy, full of life, sometime drive you nuts kind of guy. He was a father, a lover, a friend, a son. He loved to paint and create unique things from wood and rocks that he would bring home after a day spent out in the sticks.

He was a head banging, rock and roll, heavy metal man. He was a collector of all kinds of music, mostly rock and roll. He loved concerts and he loved to rock out all of the time. He hated work and he loved to party with his friends.

He was a unique, one of a kind, never forget him after you met him kind of guy. He was always going some where, hanging out with someone. He was proud to own a Jeep, a Camaro and a Harley. He was a proud father and loved more than anything hanging out and going to town with his son Sammy.

He loved to weld and fabricate anything to do with exhaust systems. His dream was to own his own business and pipe bender to make those extra special kinds of exhausts. If you knew Bill, you knew he collected and saved everything.

Bill never tried to be anyone other than who he was. He will be missed by all of us and we cherish the short time we spent with him on this earth.

He loved laughing and being silly all of the time. For Bill his friends were his family. He knew he would never grow old, so everyday he spent he would make that day a great day. He wore his hair long, he loved his leather jacket, he was a rebel. He was Bill and he left a mark that will never be erased. We loved him dearly and we will miss him very much. A portion of the world went dim that Saturday morning when Bill collapsed out there doing what he loved to do. Rock hard free honey, you are an angel now.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother.

Survivors include his wife Julie Mullins of Artesia son Samuel VanAtta of Artesia stepsons Daniel Mullins of Ruidoso, N.M., Royce Carey of Las Cruces, N.M., and Alan Carey of Carlsbad, N.M.