MARINA DEL REY, Calif., and VAN BUREN – William “Bill” Paradis, 60, died unexpectedly Jan. 27, 2004, in California. He was born in Van Buren, Feb. 26, 1943, the son of Armand and Grace (Wilcox) Paradis. He attended local schools and was a graduate of the University of Maine with a BS in economics. Bill served his country in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War and during his colorful life had sold heavy farm equipment throughout the Midwest, installed windows and doors, and worked with troubled adolescents. He was the founder and CEO of the Genesis Drug and Alcohol Treatment programs he established in 1993, with facilities in Ventura, Thousand Oaks, Santa Clarita, and Culver City, Calif. The Genesis Programs have helped hundreds of chemically dependent people to achieve and maintain sobriety, restoring their families and careers in the process. Bill celebrated nearly 24 years of sobriety one day at a time. He is survived by one daughter, Kelley and her husband, Dion; one son, Billy Paradis; one sister, Kathy Dufour of Massachusetts; and one brother, Philip Paradis of St. Leonard, New Brunswick; and countless friends. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Gates, Kingsley Funeral Home, Santa Monica, Calif. A memorial service in Van Buren will be announced at a later date by the Ouellette-Thibault Funeral Home, 12 High St., Van Buren.
WILLIAM M. ‘BILL’ PARADIS
