William Paul Taube

William Paul Taube, age 96 of Atlanta, Georgia (burial in Indianapolis IN) Bill passed away quietly at home on Saturday April 9, 2022, surrounded by those who loved him. Born May 1, 1925 in Floral Park, on Long Island, NY, Bill was drafted into the Army Air Corps immediately after graduating from high school in 1943, at the height of World War II. He was stationed in Southern Italy as part of the 15th Air Force, 454th Heavy Bomb Group, 738th Squadron, flying as a waist-gunner in a B-24 crew on numerous missions over Eastern/Southern Europe as part of the drive to defeat Germany. He received an Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters. In later years Bill was active with the 454th Bomb Group association, attending numerous reunions and swapping stories while his health allowed. He remained a member of the American Legion until his passing. After the war Bill moved to the Los Angeles area in Southern California, where he worked for Pacific Bell in various positions until his retirement. He was active with the Silverlake Residents Association, and devoted his time and energy to help the Association successfully defeat an oil company plan to run a pipeline through Silverlake, as well as defeat a Los Angeles plan to put a freeway through Silverlake. Bill and other Silverlake Association members planted numerous trees that remain to this day along roads and medians in the area. Bill was ‘green’ before it was fashionable. He later relocated to Atlanta to be with his long-time life partner – Diana Klemme, and remained in Atlanta until his ‘final mission.’ Bill was preceded in death by his parents Arthur and Marie Taube, of Long Island, and his brother Eric, of Tryon North Carolina. We would like to extend appreciation to Visiting Angels of Atlanta who took wonderful care of Bill in his final years, always enjoying Bill’s stories about the war and his life. A graveside military service will be held Friday April 22, at 2:30 p.m. at Union Chapel Cemetery, 83rd and Keystone in Indianapolis, Indiana. Memorial donations can be made to D.E.L.T.A. Rescue, a no-kill animal rescue in Glendale, California. ( www.deltarescue.org )