* William A. Cady; Retired Assistant Police Chief

William A. Cady, a retired assistant chief for the Oxnard Police Department, died Monday at St. John’s Regional Medical Center after a brief battle with cancer. He was 66.

Cady was born Nov. 11, 1932, in Shawnee, Kan. He was raised in Independence, Mo., where he graduated from high school and drove a truck for several years before joining the Independence Police Department.

He met his future wife in Missouri, and the couple married in 1952.

Cady and his wife moved to Oxnard in 1964 to be closer to his wife’s family.

He joined the Oxnard police as an officer in 1965 and worked his way through the ranks as a detective, sergeant, lieutenant and commander before becoming assistant chief in 1987.

He worked as one of three assistant chiefs until 1992 when he retired.

Cady was known as a “cop’s cop” who gave good advice, but also had a great sense of humor, his family and friends said.

He was a regular target of April Fool’s Day pranks by an anonymous group of officers, said Cady’s nephew, Tom Cady, himself an assistant chief for the Oxnard Police Department.

One year, officers parked a police motorcycle in Cady’s office, and another year they stole his patrol car. The same group once moved Cady’s office furniture into a restroom, where they also hooked up a telephone line.

“It was sort of a tradition,” said David Keith, the department’s spokesman. “We all looked forward to that date to see what they were going to do.”

Cady’s daughter, Terri Harris, said her father had a passion for police work because he wanted to help people and put criminals in jail.

In retirement, Cady was an avid golfer and worked as a marshal at the River Ridge Golf Course in Oxnard. He also sat as a hearing officer for Ventura County, handling parking ticket cases.

Cady is survived by his wife of 46 years, Donna Cady of Oxnard; his daughter, Terri Harris of Oxnard; a brother, Larry Cady of Chula Vista; a granddaughter, Laura Harris of Oxnard; and several nieces and nephews.

There will be a viewing from 4 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the James A. Reardon Funeral Home in Oxnard. The funeral is set for 12:30 p.m. Thursday at First Baptist Church in Oxnard with interment to follow at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to any branch of the American Cancer Society. Please designate that the donation be used for lung cancer research.