Obituary of William James Williams

William (CWO Retired) was born 9/17/1927 in Susquehanna, PA and passed away 10/11/09 in Tacoma, WA. He enjoyed 2 full careers, one with the US Department of Justice, but his greatest love was flying helicopters in the US Army. He is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Hildegard; sons Michael (Pamela) and Patrick (Dawn). Memorial Service to be held with military honors Thursday, 10/22/09 at 2PM at Lakeview Chapel, 4606 108th St SW, Lakewood, WA 98499. The world’s greatest loss will be the vast knowledge he took with him. William was born in Susquehanna, Pennsylvania on 9/ 17/ 1927. He was second of 3 children born to James DeForest Williams and Mary King Williams. His older sister Eileen Williams (Swank) was born in 1924 and his younger brother Donald Lee Williams was born in 1929. When he was four years old his mother died (during child birth). His father married Alma, a school teacher and she helped raise the children. Bill attended HS in Binghampton , New York and graduated in 1945. During his HS days he was in the Air Cadets and developed a hope that one day he would become an aviator. He attempted to enlist in the Air Force but had some limitations so he enlisted in the Army in 1945. After basic training, he was stationed in Frankfurt , Germany . After the end of the war , he served in the Military Police which assisted NATO and occupation forces in Germany . During some daily breaks, he met Hildegard Gerstung (9/ 10/ 1929), one of the teenage German girls working in the kitchen on the base. They dated and spent much time together. Bill was reassigned to other Army bases, but would show up in Frankfurt from time to time, and he and Hildegard enjoyed their time together traveling throughout the region. They married on November 16, 1953 in a cathedral, built for Germany ’s Kaisers in the heart of Frankfurt and enjoyed their honeymoon in Switzerland . Their witnesses were her mother and his best friend Robert Horn. Soon after that, in 1954, Bill was transferred to Fort Monmouth , New Jersey . Their first son Michael J. Williams was born on February 6, 1955. Shortly after being honored with ‘Soldier of the Month’ (awarded for: military courtesy, knowledge of duties and dress), of the vast 1st Army, Bill was selected for helicopter training at Dothan AFB in Alabama . And, after rigorous training Bill was elevated to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer. After Bill was reassigned to Fort Riley in Junction City , Kansas , their second son Patrick W. Williams was born on March 7, 1957. Then they moved to California where Bill was stationed at Fort Ord in Monterey , California for more specialized helicopter training. He was trained and qualified to fly specialized fighter and cargo copters. In 1952, his brother Donald, a paratrooper died in the Korean War. In 1960, Bill’s family moved to Lakewood while he was flying copters in the Viet Nam war. Bill was awarded five air medals and several military achievement accommodations, including the highly touted ‘Distinguished Flying Cross’, while completing well over twenty-five combat missions. After his tour of duty was completed, he returned to Fort Lewis . His last tour of duty was back in Munich and Frankfurt , Germany from 1963-1966. The family did extensive travel to many places in Europe . The boys were old enough to appreciate and enjoy seeing castles, cathedrals and take in the history of Europe . Bill retired from Army Aviation as Chief Warrant Officer 3 with 21 years. He was honorably discharged at Fort Lewis in 1966. They moved into their new home in 1967 in North Tacoma . After working at the Postal Service for several months, Bill worked as an officer at McNeil Island Federal Prison until it was closed and turned over to Washington State DOC in 1980. The boys attended school in Tacoma . They were Scouts and reached the rank of Life Scouts in the Boy Scouts of America. Bill was closely involved in their activities. Along with them, he enjoyed camping and hiking. They all took scuba classes together. Bill enjoyed camping and teaching his sons about nature and fishing. The most memorable spot was, fondly dubbed ‘ Sunburn Island ’, a small island at Alder Lake . They all enjoyed each others company, while boating, swimming, and simply enjoying what nature delivered on that day. When the boys attended Wilson HS, they encouraged them in their HS activities. Mike was in the school choir and competed in Varsity wrestling. Patrick was two years behind Michael. He was an excellent student, athlete and musician. Michael graduated in 1973 and Patrick graduated in 1975. Michael went to work at Atlas Foundry to begin his pursuit in the working world. Patrick attended University of Puget Sound . He received his BA in accounting and passed the exam for Certified Public Accountant. He married Dawn in 1985. They live in Issaquah and he works for the Lumicor company as V.P. of Finance. Michael has been with Pamela for over eight years. They live in University place and he is the CEO of UFCW Local 81 in Auburn , Washington . In 1980, Bill and Hildegard moved to Lompoc , California where Bill worked, as an officer at the United States Penitentiary for 8 years when he retired with over 20 years of service for the Federal Department of Justice. In 1985, his sister Eileen Swank died in San Francisco , California . Bill was an hard working person wherever he was. He was able to focus on his tasks and was very successful wherever he was. He loved his beautiful wife Hildegard, they were married for nearly 56 years. They lived in their home for most of the past 42 years. They had traveled many, many places in the world and had seen more places than they could remember. He enjoyed 2 full careers, one with the Federal Dept.of Justice, but his greatest love was flying helicopters in the U.S. Army. During the last several years, Bill began having memory loss and developed signs of Alzheimer’s disease. With the assistance of Franciscan Hospice Care, Hildegard cared for him lovingly day after day until she fell and broke her hip a little over 4 weeks ago. While she was in the hospital, Michael and Patrick attempted to care for him at his home but he needed more care than they could provide. When Hildegard went to University Place Care Center to recuperate and continue her rehab, they moved Bill to the same Care Center , to be close to her and where he continued under Hospice care. His health declined and his life came to a peaceful close on Sunday evening with his beloved wife and family with him. He will always be loved and remembered by Hildegard his loving wife of 55 years his sons Michael (Pamela) and Patrick (Dawn). his nieces and nephews, and family relatives, his many comrades and colleagues, his friends and neighbors around the world. The world’s greatest loss will be the vast knowledge he took with him.