William passed away on Thursday, May 17 at the age of 84. He was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, and lived there Until he enlisted in the Air Force in 1949. He served durning the Korean Conflict, reached the reank of SSGT/T and served as a B-29 Flight Engineer. He trained and/or was stationed at Keesler, Walker, Randolph and Chanute AFBs, and Okinawa, Japan. While in the Air Force, he met his wife, Mildred Patonetz, and they married on March 15, 1952 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Following his Air Force career, they made their home in Enfield, Connecticut for 52 years. Bill worked in a variety of sales and/or purchasing positions with Hamilton Standard, Westinghouse and finally Becon, Inc., a small manufacturing firm in Manchester, Connecticut from which he retired in the 1980s.
Bill enjoyed being a grandfather and Uncle and spent many summers camping and boating on the Connecticut shore. He enjoyed philately, amassing an impressive collection of American postage stamps and took up golf at his retirement. In his younger years, he was a handyman of sorts, bending many a kitchen knife blade fixing things; the backseat of his car was usually filled with assorted car and engine parts that he was going to need, sometime, somewhere.
He is survived by his wife, Mildred Patonetz Healy, and his daughters, Diana (Leonard) Dolhert of Erie, Colorado and Patricia (Walter) Stamper of Hixson, and grandchildren Phoebe Kira Dolhert and Alexandra and William Stamper.
Many thanks to those who looked after his health, including the staff at DCI on Hamill Road, Wellington Place, and Hospice of Chattanooga.
There will be no Visitation. Graveside service will be held Monday, May 21 at 2pm at the Chattanooga National Cemetery. In Lieu of flowers, Memorial contributions may be made to Tennessee valley Golden Retriever Rescue, Knoxville, TN or Hospice of Chattanooga.
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