William Whatley

William "Bill" Whatley, 97, went home to be with the Lord on March 12, 2017. Bill was born in Dayton, Ohio on March 17, 1919 to William "Will" and Alice Whatley. He is preceded in death by his parents, his first wife of 57 years, Ruth & their infant son, Larry William, as well as by his second wife of 10 years, Marabelle. He is survived by his 2 daughters, Diane Van Zwieten of Arizona and Cynthia Stewart of Florida & son-in-law, Jim Stewart of Florida. Bill grew up in Dayton, Ohio and graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1935. He was actively involved in the Boy Scouts. He worked at the Journal Herald right out of high school and then went to work at Wright- Patterson AFB as a mail boy in 1936. When Bill retired in 1974, he had worked his way up to the highest GS level attainable for a civilian. Bill also met his wife, Ruth, at Wright Patt & they married in 1942. Bill & Ruth made their home in Beavercreek for 56 years and attended Washington Heights Baptist Church. After retirement, they traveled extensively with the Wally Byam Airstream Group. Bill was known for his quick sense of humor & enjoyed wearing zany costumes to parties as a lark. He loved to play Santa Claus for family & friends. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother & uncle & was greatly admired by all for his integrity & kind heart. Bill was deeply loved & will be sadly missed by his 2 daughters & son-in-law, 6 grandchildren & their spouses, 19 Great-grandchildren & 1 great-great grandchild, 7 nephews & their spouses & their 17 children as well as many other relatives and friends. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Cedarville University, Cedarville, Ohio which Bill has supported for many, many years. A Celebration of Life will be held at Tobias Funeral Home in Beavercreek on Sat. March 18 at 12 noon. Burial will follow at Valley View Memorial Gardens.