In Memoriam: William J. “Bill” Cawley Jr.

Longtime Benicia resident and owner of Benicia Plumbing Inc., Bill Cawley, passed away on November 27^th, following a long illness, at the age of 76.

Born in San Francisco, Bill lived in Benicia for 47 years and became a pillar of our community.

Bill served as President of both Benicia Chamber of Commerce and Kiwanis Club. He was chairman of the Local 343 Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee and former President of Northern California Mechanical Contractors Association, in addition to his duties at Benicia Plumbing.

Bill retired from his company in 2019 and was honored by over 400 people at his retirement party.

He and his wife, Leeann, founded Benicia Plumbing in 1975. Over the years, they have employed hundreds of Solano County residents. An industry leader, Bill’s contributions to the Construction Industry include:

President of Northern California Mechanical Contractors Associationin 1998
Chairman of the Napa-Solano Apprenticeship Committeefor nearly 30 years
Member of the Contra Costa Apprenticeship Committeein both Martinez and Concord for nearly 25 years
Chairman of the California State Pipe Trades Apprenticeship Committeefrom 2010-2015
Chairman of the Western Mechanical Conference Labor-ManagementCommittee in 2015

During his long career, Bill helped hundreds of young men and women enter the Union Plumbing Industry, allowing them to earn a good living, including solid health, welfare and pension benefits.

Bill is survived by Leeann, his wife since 1975, children Bill (Marci) Cawley III, Lori Cawley, Patrick (Lorena) Cawley and Matty (Todd) Carver; sister Kathy (Dave) Anderson; grandchildren Ty, Jessica, Sarah & Elijah Cawley, Anthony Toliver, Robert Carver, Elizabeth Carver and Emily Cawley.

Bill worked tirelessly alongside Leeann on behalf of Benicia Relay for Life.

Together, they gave to the Benicia/Tula Association and Soroptimist International of Benicia. They were honored with the Outstanding Citizen Award by the Benicia Police Department in 2017 for their involvement in the “Leading the Way Project.” And, the couple was chosen by Benicia Main Street to be the Grand Marshall of the 2017 Third of July Parade.

Benicia Plumbing’s company motto is “People Taking Care of People.” Bill embodied this motto in his professional and personal life. Our entire community feels his loss.