In 1902, Bill was born in The Dalles, Oregon. His mother, Lola Anne Ewbank Saunders, was 25 years old; his father, Freas Brown Saunders, was 28 years old.

In 1904 the family moved to Arlington, Oregon, a few miles upstream from The Dalles. There his sister, Florence, was born in August of 1904 when Bill was a little over 2 years old.

In 1909 his family moved back to The Dalles, where his father continued to live until 1960. Bill's father managed a warehouse handling wheat and a flour mill

Bill and his three sisters worked in the cherry orchards near The Dalles at harvest time all during their later childhoods. Bill started working in the orchards when he was 12; one year he was straw boss there. Bill continued to live in The Dalles until he graduated from High School there in 1919, on his 17th birthday.

Bill was a student at Oregon State College at Corvallis, Oregon during the school years from 1919 thru 1924.
On September 28, 1923, Bill was appointed Cadet Major in the Field Artillery Unit of the ROTC. On 23 Dec. 1923 Bill was appointed Second Lieutenant, Field Artillery of the Officer's Reserve Corps of the Army of the United States.
On the ninth day of June, 1924, Bill received his degree of Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering.

In 1924 the new graduate Engineer traveled to Schenectady in Upstate New York. He worked as an engineering interne for General Electric.

During the winter and spring terms of 1926-27 Bill studied at the University of Oregon in Eugene. He took courses in differential equations, chemistry, French, and Philosophy of History.

In 1927-31 Bill lived in Palo Alto, California. At this time he worked with Charley Litton as a Radio Engineer for Kolster Radio. Bill later worked for Federal Telegraph Company, designing radio transmitters for ship-to-shore service

In 1931-1933 Bill lived in E. Orange, New Jersey. He worked for Federal Telegraph as a Radio Engineer. He also took chemistry classes at Columbia University in New York City. In March 1933 Bill and his sister, Florence, drove to Washington, D.C., to see FDR inaugurated on a chilly day.

In 1933-37 Bill lived in Stanford, California. He finished a bachelor's degree in chemistry at Stanford University during this time. His diploma indicates that he received a Bachelor of Arts - with Distinction on 18 June 1934. Stanford University School of Medicine allowed him to matriculate on October 2, 1934.

In 1937-43 Bill lived in San Francisco, California and graduated from Stanford University Medical School there. He contracted TB from a pediatric patient and had to take time out from his studies to recover. Bill received his M.D. degree June 13, 1940.

Bill was an Intern at San Francisco County Hospital when he met his future wife, Paula Hartmann, who was a nursing shift supervisor on a ward there. Bill and Paula married at San Francisco's City Hall during their lunch hours on January 27, 1941.

In 1943 Bill and Paula lived in Orinda, California. Bill was a Radiologist at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland and Richmond during this time. He completed his Radiology residency in 1944.

From 1944-46 Bill and Paula lived in a tiny house on a street in Berkeley near the University of California. Bill's first daughter was born in 1945 at Kaiser Hospital in Oakland.

In 1946 Bill's family moved to a house in Oakland, California. Then Bill took a position as a Radiologist at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in San Francisco.

From 1946-51 Bill and his family lived in an apartment on the grounds of the "Fort Miley" V.A. Hospital. Bill's second daughter was born in June of 1949 and brought to this home.

In 1951 Bill and his family moved to a new house in Sausalito, California. During the Sausalito years Bill's family generally spent Easter vacations camping in the deserts or exploring the California Missions. They frequently visited the "Ranch" of Paula's parents for Christmas and hosted the extended family for Thanksgiving or the other way round. Summer vacations for Bill's family were mostly longer camping trips to the north and east of California.

In 1958 Bill moved his family to Martinsburg, West Virginia. He worked as a Radiologist for the V.A. there while showing his family the sights of the East Coast. One summer there he took his wife and daughters on a 6 week trip to Europe. The family lived in an apartment attached to the corridors of the V.A. Hospital.

In the Fall of 1959 Bill accepted a post as Professor of Radiology at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. After several delays, he and the family moved into a house near the N.W. edge of the District of Columbia. They lived there until Bill retired in June of 1962.

Bill and his family moved to a house in Palo Alto, California during the summer of 1962. The family took several camping and hiking vacations in the West during the Palo Alto summers.

In 1968-74 Bill and Paula lived in an apartment in the hills of Menlo Park. During this time they made a number of international trips.

In 1974-85 Bill and Paula lived in an apartment in Mill Valley, overlooking the tidelands of Richardson Bay. Paula died in Mill Valley in April of 1985.

In 1985 Bill moved to a full-care facility in Medford, Oregon. His sister, Florence, soon moved into her own unit down the hill from him. Bill spent some of his leisure time in his last years learning how to use Personal Computers. Bill and Florence took several car trips together.

Bill died at Medford, Oregon 22 September 1993; he was 91 years old.