William Everett Dobbins Jr.

William E. Dobbins, Senior Chief Petty Officer, U.S. Navy Retired, beloved father. William was the only child of William E. Dobbins, Commander, U.S. Navy Retired, of Massachusetts and Lyda Blanche Smith, U.S. Army Nurse Corps, of Pennsylvania.

He was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Massachusetts, Florida and Pennsylvania.

William, affectionately known as "Wild Bill" to friends, was a veteran of World War II and the Korean Conflict. He served aboard four aircraft carriers and five other ships deploying with units to the Atlantic, Pacific, Mediterranean and Caribbean in defense of his country.

He was stationed in Norfolk, Virginia; San Diego, California; Barbers Point, Hawaii; and China Lake, California. He retired in 1964 after 24 years of unblemished active service.

He had a successful career as a Life Insurance Agent for MONY from 1963-1990. He also worked for H&R Block for seven years. He volunteered for the Navy Relief Society, was a volunteer campground host and worked in security and as a park ranger.

Bill's passion was airplanes and their engines.

He graduated from Frostproof High School in Frostproof, Florida. He married Lillian Yvonne Brown of Wauchula, Florida, in 1942.

Lillian, known as "Billie," and Bill had two children, Mary Lyda and Daniel Newton.

In 1947, Bill married Vada Lee Harrah of West Virginia. They lived in Virginia, Hawaii and California. Bill and Vada had one daughter, Kathy Lea. Vada preceded Bill in death in 1975.

In 1975, Bill married Suzanne Lee Parker, aka Cleabelle, (Cleo) Rae Pearce (Wilson, McGrosso) of Oregon. They lived in California and Washington state.

Bill was a generous soul with a philosophical and artistic spirit, a wordsmith and a mathematical intellect. He loved his country and the out of doors. He enjoyed camping and exploring. He adventured to beaches, mountains and deserts in the U.S. and abroad, always collecting a rock or stick along the way.

He was a gifted orator, a past president of Club 2516 Toastmasters International, a pretty entertaining storyteller, square-dancer and an aficionado of country-western music. One of his most cherished memories was receiving a big hug from Mary Lyda's employer, Dolly Parton.

To the end he was a fighter, quick to laugh and quick to defend.

In 1990, Bill and Cleo moved from Chula Vista, California, to Port Angeles, where they resided until Bill moved to Sequim in February of this year. Bill was a gifted driftwood artist and avid member of the Olympic Driftwood Society, in which he was active to the end.

Bill leaves behind his three children, Mary Lyda Wellons of Sevierville, Tennessee, Daniel Newton of Tampa, Florida, and Kathy Lea of Chula Vista, California; grandchildren Robin Macias, Terry May, Timothy Moody and Britt Wellons; three great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandsons; and his beloved canine companion, Wiley.

Please join his daughters in a celebration of his life at the First United Methodist Church at 110 East Seventh Street, Port Angeles, at 3 p.m., Saturday, August 11, 2012.

.Published in The Peninsula Daily News on August 9, 2012