Born in Birmingham, Alabama on March 1, 1928; Bill enlisted in the Navy in January 1944 and following Recruit Training and Signal School at Great Lakes, Illinois, he served in the Pacific Theater for the remainder of World War II. His wartime service included assignments with the Pacific Fleet Service Force and with the Royal Australian Navy in support of the allied campaigns in New Guinea and the Philippines.
Bill returned to Birmingham to complete his secondary schooling at Woodlawn High School and then attended the University of Alabama while also serving as a Navy Reservist in the Atlantic Fleet Mine Force and at the Navy Base, Charleston, South Carolina.
He earned a congressional appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated with the class of 1954.
Following numerous afloat assignments in destroyers and diesel submarines, he completed a tour as First Lieutenant in USS PRINCETON (LPH 5) in 1968. Three Western Pacific deployments and nine amphibious assaults during the Vietnam conflict were conducted by PRINCETON during this period. Shore duty assignments followed as Commanding Officer, Naval Reserve Center, Omaha, Nebraska, and on the staff of Commander, Navy Reserve Training Command in Omaha. He then served in the Officer Distribution Section, Bureau of Naval Personnel, Arlington, Virginia.
Returning to sea, he served as Commissioning Executive Officer, USS PONCE (LPD 15), and as Commanding Officer, USS VOGELGESANG (DD 862), in the early 1970’s. Following an additional tour at the Bureau of Naval Personnel, he commanded Destroyer Squadron 34. During this tour, he commanded the 1978 Great Lakes Cruise Squadron, the first presence of Navy warships on the Great Lakes in over 30 years.
Promoted to Rear Admiral in 1980, he served as Deputy Commander, Navy Reserve Force and Commander, Navy Reserve Surface Force in New Orleans, Louisiana, until his retirement from the Navy on March 1, 1985.
Bill lived the remainder of his service-oriented life in Orange Beach (Ono Island), Alabama. He held membership in numerous professional and business organizations including serving as the President of the Naval Academy Alumni Association, Pensacola Chapter, in the early 1990’s. He was a founding member of the Perdido Bay United Methodist Church in 1989, and he served as a Red Cross Volunteer at the Naval Hospital, Pensacola for over 20 years.
He is survived by his wife of 65 years, Joan Harvey Daniels, and their three children, CAPT William Dwight Daniels, USN, Retired (Carla), Jane Daniels Ferguson (Tom) and Kimberly Daniels Lloyd (Lamar), seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Also surviving are Bill’s sister, Jean Daniels Howells, his sister-in-law, Jean Harvey Leer, and nieces, nephews and cousins.
A memorial service and celebration of Bill’s life will be at 3:00 PM on November 23, 2019 at Perdido Bay United Methodist Church. A service of committal will be in the spring of 2020 at the United States Naval Academy Columbarium. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations in Bill’s memory be made to the Building Fund at Perdido Bay United Methodist Church, 13360 Innerarity Point Rd Pensacola, FL 32507.
