William O. "Bill" Brittain

Bill was born in Tinsley, KY on September 28, 1926 and lived there until 1941, when he joined the US Navy. He served as seaman first class on the USS Topeka in World War II, stationed in the Pacific. After the war, he earned a BS degree at Union College, Barbourville, Kentucky. In a Pineville, Kentucky ice cream shop, he connected with the love of his life, June Anders. They were married in 1952.

In 1960, he moved to Columbia and there he raised his family while he worked as a treasured employee of Gibbes Machinery Company for many years.

Bill was a dedicated husband and a loving father.Surviving are his children: Barbara Brittain (Glenn Hanson) of Surfside Beach, Billy Brittain of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and Joe Brittain (Stacie Johnson) of Atlanta, Georgia.

Also surviving are his grandchildren: Chris, Alison (Laura) and Melissa Brittain, and treasured great-grandchildren Landen and Eleanor Mabel Brittain. He was predeceased by his son, Jeff, and his wife of 65 years, Junebug.

In African culture, there is a saying: When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground. This library was multi-storied and packed to the brim with wisdom. It will be sorely missed.