Bill Seare passed away on August 19, 2026, at home, with his family around him. He was 79.

He was born in Salt Lake City, UT. He graduated from Skyline High School in 1965 and from the University of Utah in 1969, following his grandfather, and joined over the years by his siblings, his son, his granddaughter, and his niece. Four generations of Utes.

He met Deberah Poole when she worked at the OBGyn front office, where students checked out the key to the self-learning room. One day, as she handed him a key, he asked her to lunch. Lunch happened, dating happened, and in October of 1975 they married in Sun Valley, ID during a Porsche rally. Three years later he adopted her son Michael as his own. In 1980 their daughter Kristin was born and became the apple of his eye. In 2019 he adopted Riley as his son as well.

Dr. Seare earned his MD from the University of Utah in 1973 and then arranged a rare MD-PhD program through the College of Engineering, adding materials science to residencies in both orthopedic and plastic surgery. He was board certified in orthopedic surgery in 1985 and in plastic surgery in 1988, and completed a hand surgery fellowship at the University of Southern California in 1981.

For fifteen years he ran his own research laboratory in Salt Lake City, UT, work that produced ten patents, thirty-two published papers, and four FDA-approved devices. His patented material was licensed for use in heart assist devices, the Dexcom glucose sensor, and a permanent contraception device. He also made the cuffs that allowed continuous cardiovascular monitoring on monkeys in space.

He loved big toys, and he was always gathering family and friends to share them. Porsches, first of all. In the early 1980s he partnered with Steve Clifford to open a dealership in Provo, UT selling Porsche, Audi, and Volkswagen, and he raced 944s and Golfs around the country. He and Deberah served as co-presidents of the Intermountain Chapter of the Porsche Club of America. He owned a Porsche of some kind from his college years to the end of his life. He also loved airplanes, owned one, and held an FAA instrument certification. Finally, he adored Lake Powell, where he ran tricks on the jet ski at the end of the day while the houseboat watched, grinning, making sure everyone was having a good time.

He enjoyed traveling the world and sharing his knowledge, and, if he could combine the two, it was even better. He taught Riley to tie his shoe in Yosemite and to play chess on a cruise in the Mediterranean. He taught him photography, and took him to many national parks. He taught all of his children to drive a stick in his Porsche, and Michael can still smell the leather in it. Riley loved riding to school in his Porsche with Elton John playing on the stereo. He seemed to know something about everything, and, if he didn’t have an answer, he would seek it with you.

He loved taking care of his family and he would jump to help people during times of crisis. He never gave up on his kids, even when they had given up on themselves, and he told them he loved them every chance he got. He called them his most valuable assets. When they were small, two claps of his hands meant somebody had better bring him a frozen Snickers bar. He built huge blanket forts in the living room with his grandchildren, and there was nowhere he would rather be than at Disneyland with his family. Before flights to Cancun he would freeze margaritas in IV bottles, wrap them in beach towels, and pack them in his suitcase, then break them out perfectly thawed for everyone stuck in the heat and the long lines.

If you caught him getting a detail wrong, he would grin and say, “I misremembered.” And if he needed something, “I’m a doctor” usually did the trick.

He practiced medicine and continued his research until retiring in Carlsbad, CA in 2023. In June of 2025 he moved to St. George, UT to be closer to his siblings and extended family.

“Happiness is having options,” he liked to say. He made sure he always had them.

He was preceded in death by his father, William J. Seare, Sr., and his mother, Louise Seare.

He is survived by his wife Deberah; his children Michael (Marianne), Kristin, and Riley; his granddaughter Zoe; and his siblings Rene, Jonee, Jerry (JJ), and Kathy (Dwight); as well as many nieces and nephews and extended family.

A celebration of life was held at the family home in St. George, UT on Saturday, August 29.

In lieu of flowers, please donate in his honor to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, UT.