William Jackson Mayfield

He is survived by his loving wife Janet (Holmberg), two daughters, Terri Mayfield and Renee Anderson, and one son, Greg Stauffeneker, as well as 17 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren. Preceding William in death were his parents, William J. and Nora (Epperly) Mayfield., siblings Betty Jane Rodgers and Daniel J. Mayfield, and five children, Deborah Vorhees, Kathryn Humphrey, William Mayfield III, Robert P. (Pat) Mayfield and Shari Hodge, and a granddaughter, Kimberly (Voorhees) Belcher.

William was born in Moberly Missouri on June 26, 1933. He was raised on a farm and attended Huntsville, Missouri public schools. After graduation, William enrolled in the Electrical Engineering program at the University of Missouri. His studies were, however, delayed by his enlistment in the U.S. Marine Corps, where he went through Boot Camp in San Diego and served as a Drill Instructor. William later served in Korea as a Radar Repairman in Korea.

Upon discharge in 1955, William married Barbara Ann Hildebrand and resumed his studies at the University of Missouri, where he graduated with a BS in Electrical Engineering. Three years of service in Korea and a college degree, all completed at the age of 23.

William began his professional career at Bell Telephone Labs, working on the design of the Titan ICBM guidance system and later the installation of the Titan 1 and the Atlas ICBMs in silos. In 1962, William moved to the McDonnell Aircraft company to work on many early manned spacecraft programs such as Mercury, Gemini, and Skylab. As his career grew, he later worked in engineering leadership roles for the Harpoon and Tomahawk missile programs. In 1990 William retired as Director of Manufacturing for the Advance Cruise Missile project in Titusville, Florida.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.wyliebaxleymerrittisland.com for the Mayfield family.