William (Bill) George Bone, 88, of Irvine, passed away on May 15, 2012. Born on September 24, 1923, in London, England, Bill is survived by his daughters Susan and Mary; son Steve; grandchildren William (Liam), Owen, Devin, Spenser, William, James, and Katie, and his faithful dog Chance. Bill’s wife of 42 years, Margaret, passed away in February, 2011.
Bill spent his early years in England and was a gifted footballer (soccer player). As a member of the Royal Air Force, Bill served his country in World War II, and in 1944 was severely burned when an American Bomber crashed into the café he and his mates were having a drink in (http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2006/nov/11/weekend7.weekend10). As a result of this accident, Bill became part of the Guinea Pig Club (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guinea_Pig_Club), where the foundation of reconstructive plastic surgery for burn victims was developed.
After WWII, Bill lived and worked as an electrical engineer in Ghana, Africa, and Windsor, Ontario Canada, before moving to California, where he lived until his passing for 42 years.
He was known by most for his biting sense of humor, a penchant for drinking, and of course, his English accent, which was very popular in Southern California. He coached youth soccer and to this day many remember “coach Bone” as one of the only ones who knew the game, let alone how to coach it, in California in the 1970’s.
Most importantly, he was a great Dad, who always put the family before himself. When he took himself out of his shell, he could carry the room with the best of them with his ability to tell stories of the war, and of Africa, and all the adventures he felt lucky to have had.
He fought hard to the end, and died with his family at his side.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Wounded Warrier Project:
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