Bill is survived by his loving wife Kathy, his five children, Ron Morrell (Lynn), Ron Emma (Andrea), Kim Gault (Chris), Lindsey Lawrence (Chris), and Matthew Morrell (Zach), his six grandchildren, Nicholas (Cassie), Andrew (Lemara), Austin, Samantha, Olivia, and Ava as well as seven great grandchildren, Fulton, John-Paul, Blaise, Jasper, Faustina, Leona, and Theodore.
Bill was born on July 5, 1949, to Clifford and Thelma Morrell in Patterson, New Jersey. Bill attended High School in Ridgewood, NJ, and enlisted in the Air Force in 1967. Upon graduation from Basic Training, Bill immediately deployed to Southeast Asia as a Senior Airman where he served as an infrared camera technician. He then became a sensor operator on AC-130H Spectre Gunships where he coined his signature catchphrase, “NO FACTOR.” After returning to the United States, he attended night school and earned a Bachelor of Science in Electronic Engineering and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. Bill then served as a Chief of Tactics of Fighter and Bomber Integration on E-3 AWACS where he earned accolades during an Iranian F-14 engagement/shoot down and during Desert Storm. His tours of duty with AWACS included, Tinker Air Force Base as a Weapons Director, Langley AFB as Chief Airborne Requirements, C2 Requirements Directorate, Deputy Chief of Staff Requirements and Program Element Monitor, as well as at NATO Air Base in Geilenkirchen, Germany as a Senior Director/ Chief of Combat Operations.
After his tour in NATO AWACS Germany, Bill was assigned to the Joint Stars Test Team, Detachment 2, Patrick AFB, where he served as the Director of Operations and Lead Mission Crew Commander/ Deputy Commander. While stationed at Patrick he completed his Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Science.
Following his assignment to the Joint Stars Test Team, Bill retired from active duty service after 27 years and joined the civilian workforce with Zel Technologies. Bill served many roles in the company including Group Manager, Senior Functional Analyst, Senior Manager for Air Operations and Site Lead, Division Manager Systems and Engineering Integration. Bill retired from Zel Technologies after 23 years.
Bill was a lifelong New York Yankees fan. His love for the Yankees, and baseball in general, was cultivated by his grandfather, who would take him out of school to attend home games at Yankee Stadium. He passed along this passion to his family and one of his recent happiest memories was attending a Yankee game with them this past summer.
Bill worked hard and played hard. He loved fast cars, boats, and planes, but he was most passionate about his family. Nothing stopped him from travelling all over the country to visit and support his children and grandchildren. He instilled integrity, perseverance, faith, patriotism, and many more values that will live on for generations to come.
Funeral Mass will be held at noon on Saturday, December 3, 2022, at South Patrick Chapel located at 84 Harrier Avenue, Satellite Beach FL with a reception immediately following. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of Bill’s charities: Tunnels of Towers, Team Rubicon, or Catholic Relief Services.
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