The Associated Press
Friday, July 16, 2021
ELKO — An Elko city councilman has died from COVID-19.
William Hance, 55, tested positive for the coronavirus and died at a lodge in Lowman, Idaho on Wednesday, Boise County Chief Deputy Coroner Mike Johnson told the Elko Daily Free Press. He was elected to the council in 2018.
"We are stunned and saddened by Bill's sudden passing," said Mayor Reece Keener. "Councilman Hance was a dedicated public servant who loved his community, and always sought to do the right thing. He will be greatly missed."
Hance was a U.S. Air Force veteran, Keener said. He also was businessman, and owned Ruby Mountain Lock & Safe located in the Ruby Mountain Pawn shop.
City Manager Curtis Calder said Hance had been a longtime employee of the Nevada Department of Transportation. He was a board member for the Elko TV District and the Central Dispatch Administration Authority.
According to Johnson, Hance was an owner of the lodge in Idaho where he died. He was reportedly attending to the affairs of his mother, who died last month in a crash on Mountain City Highway.
Keener said Hance was "always a steady voice of reason."
"He had a way of cutting through the facts and coming up with good solutions," Keener said.
