Longtime City of Hope employee William “Billy” Avalos died Feb. 18 of cancer. He was 60.

William Avalos (Photo by p.cunningham)

Avalos started his career at City of Hope in 1987 as a courier between the Development Center and the Duarte campus. He then transferred to the research storeroom and later moved to the Materiel Services Shipping and Receiving Department. His responsibilities included maintaining a consistent stock of medical supplies to meet the needs of the hospital.

Known for his attention to detail and customer service, he was available to help his customers often on short notice, according to Jim Manwaring, manager in materiel services. “Bill was very well-liked and respected and was well-known for his great sense of humor,” he added.

He is survived by his wife, Terry Avalos, supervisor in gift administration at City of Hope, and children Jeffrey and Amoreena, along with his sister, Julie Villagrana, an assistant director of development, and his niece, Natacha Ayala, who works in Corporate Accounting.

His funeral was held March 5. The family has asked that, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to City of Hope for lung cancer research.