William E. Magnett was born in Topeka, Kansas on January 1, 1936 to William and Isadora Magnett. He moved with his family to Oregon when was very young. He was raised in North Portland and graduated from Benson High School in 1954. After graduation he served in the US Army from 1955 to 1960. He met Irmgard Berger in Germany while serving in the military and the two were later married in Portland on July 16, 1960. The two adopted two boys, Richard and Raymond and raised them together. William worked at Oregon Blueprint and then later worked in the Print Department of the Bonneville Power Administration from 1970 until his retirement in 1997. His wife, Irmgard, passed away in 2000. William is survived by his sons, Richard and Raymond and numerous nieces and nephews.