William F. Mcveigh, Jr.

Bill McVeigh, Jr. passed away on January 5, 2021 at the age of 82. He was born as the oldest of five children in Fullerton, CA on October 1, 1938 to his parents William F. McVeigh, Sr. and Dorothy Newbold McVeigh. The family relocated to Corona, CA in December of 1949. Settling first on Sixth Street at the west end of town until Bill Sr. finished transferring his trucking business officially to Corona. Later, young Bill Jr. and the family would move to First Street in Norco, CA, with the family all attending schools in Corona. It was here that Bill spent most of his youth and developed his deep love for working on cars; as well as, his adoration of animals, especially cats, dogs, and horses. Bill and his favorite horse Star would spend hours riding through the undeveloped foothills of Corona and Norco. The two had such a close bond, Star would follow Bill around the family ranch much like a puppy. Bill spoke fondly of his time as a Boy Scout and running through his paper route as a boy, which began a lifelong love affair of reading the newspaper every day. Bill also helped his father train racing pigeons, not something he particularly enjoyed, but would bring tears of laughter at the stories of his anguish in later years. The McVeigh Family transferred their membership from the First Baptist Church in Fullerton to the First Baptist Church in Corona. As a young man, Bill sang in the youth choir at the church in Corona, and many years later he would be married there, as would his two oldest daughters. Bill was an adventurous child, he loved spending his summers with his favorite Aunt and Uncle on their ranch in Orosi, CA. His Aunt gave him daily chores, and always thought of him as one of her own. He loved marauding with his cousins and being close to his beloved grandmother Alice McVeigh and her many cats. He never failed to make annual trips to see his family up north for the remainder of his life and loved recounting all his mischievous tales of his time spent there as a youth. In high school, Bill played slide trombone in the band, he loved taking trips with his friends to compete in the various band competitions. Bill was a quarterback on his high school football team, and ran track, specifically the 220/440/660 individual and relay races, garnering many awards and much notoriety. He set several track records at Corona High School, his last one falling in 1989 when his youngest daughter was then attending the same school. After graduation in 1956 Bill attended Mount San Antonio College, at that time a well-known school for track and field athletes helping pave the way for several future Olympians. Bill loved his time running at Mt. SAC and would often recount the brutal practices that involved running the long hill on campus over and over. He spent many an evening during his college years playing trombone in various local big bands. During his college years he supported himself by working as a soda jerk in an ice cream parlor. Most of his college meals consisted of all the free ice cream he could get away with, something he would chuckle about every time it came to mind. After completing school, Bill worked for United Hackathon in Corona, as well as part time for his father. In 1957 Bill met Nan Spencer and the pair began a two-year courtship. In September of 1959 Bill and Nan were married, celebrating their 61st wedding anniversary this past September. Bill and Nan had four children during their marriage and often joked they should have had the forethought to double the size of the dining room to accommodate the growth of their beloved family. In 1963, Bill and Nan made the decision to start their own trucking company. It was rough going with many sacrifices in the beginning but was a journey he loved to ruminate on often. Ultimately, the pair owned and operated McVeigh Transportation for 45 successful years. Acquiring the Public Utility Permits to start their business was a simple task, however in the early 1960's there were very few small independent trucking companies with Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) rights. Against all odds, Bill filed a lawsuit to gain those rights and won, giving the company the ICC rights for eleven western states and breaking a barrier for other small companies in the State of CA. Bill started a second trucking company with a friend, B&M Trucking. After a few years, it was too much trying to manage the two companies and Bill sold his half of B&M to his partner. Bill served as President of the local Riverside California Trucking Association for two years and was actively involved for many years following. When Bill Sr. decided to retire, Bill and his youngest brother Jim purchased their father's companies together, Pioneer Transfer and Pioneer Pacific. The brothers made a go of it for a time but came to the amicable conclusion they should part ways. They decided to flip a coin winner take all to see who would keep their father's companies. Jim won the toss, something the two of them would joke about for years to come, the simple flip of a coin. Bill loved owning his own company, he took great pride in enduring all the ups and downs, the struggles and successes, but mostly being able to provide jobs for so many within the community was a source of great joy. In his early years of the company Bill rarely took vacations. When the family did vacation, it was often Nan and the kids crammed into the cab of a big rig combining work with some off the beaten path adventure. After retiring, he and Nan enjoyed countless road trips driving everywhere in Bill's pickup. One of his favorite trips was a two month drive through the U.S. going as far east as Washington D.C. and back again. Nan always sat right next to him in the truck, with his hand on her knee. Bill never stopped loving road trips, the experience of seeing something he had not seen before, driving on a road he had not yet been, just the overall thrill of driving was a calming force in his life. In 1981 Bill and Nan purchased 10 acres of land in the Mojave Desert. They spent the first few years trekking out to the property on weekends and camping with their kids and other family members in a tiny cab over camper shell designed for two. The intimacy of so many in a tiny space made for a hilarious experience, but the desire for creature comforts won out and they soon had a double wide trailer built for the property. For the next 38 years, he and his family would rack up countless hours riding dirt bikes through the desert as Bill led the way searching out abandoned mines, hidden sand dunes, forgotten graveyards, treacherous mountain trails, dry lake beds, and thousands of dirt roads leading nowhere and everywhere all at the same time. Bill and Nan would stay involved in the local association, help with search parties when the call for help went out, and throw annual ice cream socials for anyone wanting to stop in. He and Nan thoroughly enjoyed getting to know all the interesting desert characters who would show up for their free bowl of homemade vanilla ice cream, Bill using the old wooden hand crank ice cream maker for hours just to bring a smile to the face of whomever came to the door. For many years, Bill and Nan were involved in coaching Little League and Girls Softball with their kids, as well as participating in Adult Co-Ed Slow Pitch Softball for themselves. During these years he made some of his most lasting and cherished friendships. Bill loved running into kids he had coached as youngsters in their adult years. Several who would go out of their way to emphasize how much they valued him as a positive influence in their lives, as a good coach, or to recall the lasting impression of those years spent together. By far, Bill's longest running passion was drag racing. He built and raced several cars throughout his lifetime, finally settling on his love for his Plymouth Dusters and the rattle of a big block Mopar engine. He raced all over Southern CA, going wherever he could find a meet. As well as venturing often to Northern CA, Las Vegas, NV, and many other places. He garnered a good reputation in the racing community and was asked to participate in several elite Pay-Per-View racing events. One of his favorite things about the racing environment was the opportunity to mentor younger drivers. He could talk cars and engines for hours and never tired in the limitless joy it brought him. Bill was also intensely passionate about Angels baseball. He lived and breathed every second of every game whether bad or good, and loved the conversations he would have through his travels as he proudly sported his Angels hat. Something he never left home without. Bill is survived by his wife Nan McVeigh of Corona, CA; four children: Kellie Sepulveda of Riverside, CA, Kimber Quintus of Lake Elsinore, CA, Will McVeigh of Apple Valley, CA, and Kristina McVeigh of Corona, CA; ten grandchildren: Sean Sepulveda, Nathan Sepulveda, Leah Jawhary, Wyatt McVeigh, Nickolas Hunter, Karli Hunter, Brett Hirt, Candice Hirt, Bella Hurst, and Selena Hurst; eight great grandchildren: Hannah, Kaelyn, Broer, Emma, Amira, Evelyn, Jack, and Aria; and four siblings: Patricia Steward of Rancho Palos Verde, CA, Janet Renison of Laguna Woods, CA, John McVeigh of Clovis, CA, and James McVeigh of Rogue River, OR. Bill would often say that one of his favorite things in life was that he simply enjoyed having his loved ones around him, being together made his heart content. Please join us as able for services to be held at Thomas Miller Mortuary on February 15, 2021 at 10:30 AM, graveside services to follow at Pierce Brothers Crestlawn Memorial Park at 12:30 PM. Service Thomas Miller Mortuary 1118 East Sixth Street Corona, CA 92879 (951) 737-3244 | Monday 2/15, 10:30 am - 11:30 am Cemetery Crestlawn Memorial Park 11500 Arlington Ave. Riverside, California 92505 (951) 689-1441 | Monday 2/15, 12:30 pm