Bill Turlay, a former Vancouver city councilor who prided himself on helping reduce the city's debt by more than $100 million, died Feb. 7 from dementia complications. He was 89 years old.

Turlay's wife of 63 years, Stephanie Turlay, said that he had a great sense of humor, and everywhere he went he had friends. It helped in his time on the city council, and he "was always concerned about the citizenry," she said.

Born in Portland, Bill Turlay became a fighter pilot for the U.S. Navy and served three tours in Vietnam. Part of his work included training pilots onboard aircraft carriers. After his time in the Navy, the Turlays founded a beverage business called Emerald City Granita, which sold smoothie materials and machines. They traveled the world to conduct business, including in Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Japan.

The couple was living in Tacoma but decided to move to Vancouver around 2000 to escape heavy traffic issues. With a sense of humor that made him many friends, Bill Turlay decided to get involved with politics. In 2011, voters elected him to the Vancouver City Council.