In Memoriam: William (Bill) Charles Cattrall

Co-founder of Cattrall Brothers Vineyard

William Charles Cattrall, 77, died peacefully on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, at his home on the farm in Amity, surrounded by his family.

Bill was born December 29, 1947, in Salem, Oregon, the son of John and Verna Bond Cattrall. He grew up in Macleay and Salem, attending local schools before graduating from North Salem High School in 1966. He studied at Oregon State University before enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1968. Stationed in Italy, he developed a lifelong love of wine and travel that would shape the rest of his life.

After four years of military service, Bill returned to the family farm, where he began cultivating wine grapes, wheat and other crops. In 1973, he planted Cattrall Brothers Vineyard, Oregon’s first organic-certified vineyard, using Pinot Noir cuttings from pioneering vintner David Lett. In the 1970s, he worked as vineyard manager for both Knudsen-Erath Winery and Eyrie Vineyards. His commitment to sustainable agriculture and quiet leadership in the field was recognized with the

Oregon Wine Board’s Founders Award in 2022. The Cattrall family farm was designated a Century Farm in 2017, an honor Bill had dreamed of achieving.

On a snowy April day in 1982, Bill married Carol Stromsness, and together they raised two daughters. Bill was preceded in death by his parents, John and Verna. He is survived by his wife Carol, his brother Tom, his daughters Julia Cattrall (Director of Winemaking, Duck Pond Cellars) and Laura Potts-Cattrall (Brian), and his beloved grandchildren, Magnolia and Cameron.

A carpenter and farmer by trade, Bill was a true renaissance man. He could build anything out of wood—homes, cedar-strip kayaks, furniture, musical instruments, even woodblock art. He once enrolled in classes at Oregon College of Education just to learn how to sew, weave and draw. He was a skilled fisherman who tied his own flies, a kayaker, hiker, tinkerer and genealogist who delighted in connecting with distant relatives and ancestral homelands. He loved old farm equipment and spent countless hours restoring tractors and trucks with his brother.

Bill was an extraordinary father who taught his daughters to prune grapevines, hunt for fossils and even build their own house. He was a steady, generous presence in his community—always ready to coach a team, build a set for the school play or help rebuild a playground.

Even in his final months, Bill continued tending the vineyard, shepherding it through more than fifty vintages. A lifelong conservationist and devoted steward of the land, he leaves behind a legacy of care, craftsmanship and quiet perseverance.

Memorial contributions may be made to Friends of the Amity Public Library, PO Box 470, Amity, OR 97101. Bill was a lifelong reader who borrowed countless books over the years and deeply valued his local library.