LtCol William "Bill" Edwards Egen

1/20/1943 – 9/8/2022

LtCol William “Bill” Edwards Egen, USMC (Ret), call sign “JIGGER”, 79, of Havelock, NC passed away peacefully with his wife of 55 years, Patsy, by his side Thursday, September 8, 2022. Bill was born in Los Angeles, California to the late Edward Egen and Dorothy Edwards Egen of Honolulu, Hawaii. Bill spent his childhood between Arizona and southern California and graduated from The University of Idaho. He joined the United States Marine Corps while in college and was commissioned as an officer in 1966. He served two tours in Vietnam. The first tour was in 1967 with VMA 214, MAG 33 3rd MAW and VMA -121 MAG 12 1st MAW flying the A-4 Skyhawk. And the second tour was in 1972 with HML-267, DET MAG-16 flying the UH-1EHuey supporting his brothers on the ground. Throughout his career Bill and his family served at several duty stations across the country including Naval Air Station Chase Field Beeville Texas, Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Arizona; Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Naval Air Weapons Command China Lake in Ridgecrest, California; Maxwell Air Force Base Command and Staff College in Montgomery, Alabama; Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan; Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia; and Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington DC. He was decorated for his service many times over to include the Distinguished Flying Cross, a Meritorious Service Medal, a Combat Air Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and 14 air medals. Bill served in the USMC for 21 years retiring as the Commanding Officer of MAG-49, DET A on Naval Air Station South Weymouth in 1986. After retirement, Bill began his second career with Boeing Aircraft Company serving in many roles, including the Marketing Development Manager for Missile Systems and the Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM).

In 1998, he and his wife Patsy retired to their forever home in Havelock, North Carolina on Club Foot Creek where they resided for 24 years with their many beloved dogs. Bill loved being close to the water and was often fishing, working on his boat, or kayaking. He loved to be busy and spent many hours volunteering his time in service of others. He served on the Board of Directors for the Marine Corps Aviation Association, was the SDO for the A-4 Skyhawk Association VMA-121, and was a member of the Havelock Military Affairs Committee. Bill spent many hours planning meetings and conferences, piloting the golf cart Jets in parades (and fixing them when they broke), attending Hancock Yacht Club gatherings, and was the gate guy, pool boy and vice president for the Plantation Harbor HOA.

The one thing he loved the most was his family. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Patsy Lee Egen, his three daughters “Dash 1” Christina Lee Jefferies, “Dash 2” Leslie Anne Egen, and “Dash 3” Katherine Marie Gillies, his three grandsons William Henry Jeffries, Patrick Lee Jeffries, Daniel Egen Gilles, and his son-in-Law Matthew Lewis Jeffries. He was beyond proud of his daughters, his grandsons, and his extended family in Texas and did everything in his power to support and protect them in all ways.

As Bill would say: Semper Fi, A-4s Forever, Beat Army, Via Con Dios and Viva Zapata!

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, or your local SPCA or animal shelter.

The funeral service will be held at the Chapel on Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point on September 17, 2022, at 10:30am. He will be laid to rest at a later date in Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. If you plan to attend the funeral on September 17th and are not active duty or retired military, please respond to [email protected] to be added to the gate entry list. Online condolences can be made to www.cottenfuneralhome.com. Friends and family are invited to a casual reception at the family home at 1:00 pm, following the service.

Wear your Hawaiian shirts!