Lt. Col. William Henry "Billy" Kittles III, Ret. USAF

Lt. Col. William “Billy” Henry Kittles lll, USAF, Ret., of Valona died Friday, April 29, 2011. Col. Kittles, a life-long resident of McIntosh County, will be laid to rest Saturday, May 7, in the Atwood Cemetery at Valona following a funeral Mass at two o’clock PM in The Nativity of Our Lady Catholic Church in Darien by Father Leo Kennedy and Father Cletus Pifher.

Col. Kittles, the son of William Henry Kittles and Edna Earl Dent Kittles was born in Waynesboro, Georgia on May 4, 1935. He attended the University of Florida and graduated from the Alaska Methodist University in 1964. He was an instructor at the Air War College in Montgomery, Alabama. A career Air Force officer, Col. Kittles served in England, Alaska, the Pentagon, Vietnam and other postings. His meritorious service included commendations from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Defense Intelligence Agency and Advanced Research Project Agency; and he was awarded the Bonze Star. After retirement from the military, he returned home to Valona and held executive positions with Babcock & Wilcox and ABC Home Health Services, Inc.

Col. Kittles was a member of The Nativity of Our Lady Catholic Church in Darien. He enjoyed traveling, reading, cooking and reconnecting with other alumnae of his Officer Candidate School class. A devoted husband and father, he was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years, Barbara Saxer Kittles of Massachusetts.

Surviving him are a son, Michael E. Kittles of Darien, three daughters, Deborah A. Wallace of Leesburg, FL, Virginia “Ginny” M. Kittles of Dover Bluff, and Sharon J. Kittles of Brunswick , and his grandchildren, Shawn Barber, Gina Jacobs, Kate Jacobs Baker, Dylan Wallace, and Samantha Cercy.

Donations may be made to The American Heart Association or The American Cancer Society. Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. www.edomillerandsons.com