COL WILLIAM R. STERLING To TAPS

COL WILLIAM R. STERLING passed away 10/22/2015.

Bill passed away on Oct 22, 2015. He was 93.

He had a fall, hit his head and was in a coma. All our kids came and were with me when he died. I will probably send a short bio in a few days to RAFINO.

Regards, Claudia
 

Here is trhe bio Claudia referred to:

COL William Richard (Bill) Sterling, US Army (Ret.), passed away on October 22, 2015, surrounded by family, after a long and accomplished life. He is remembered and revered as a man of great faith, kindness, humor, generosity and charity, who was devoted to his family, friends, and to his country.

Born in Seattle on September 14, 1922, he grew up in Darrington, WA. He and his wife, Claudia (Williams), raised four children together, living in Seattle, WA; Tokyo, Japan; Ft. Leavenworth, KS; Redwood City, CA; Springfield, VA; Heidelberg, Germany; and Indianapolis, IN, before retiring in Green Valley, AZ, and Olympia, WA.

A three war veteran, he entered the military during World War II, serving in the Signal Corps in the Philippine Islands, after earning his Bachelor’s degree as a member of Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Washington.  He briefly left the Army, working for several years as an accountant before being recalled in 1950. He remained on active duty, serving in Japan; the Pentagon; Heidelberg, Germany; Vietnam, and at the Army Finance Center at Ft. Harrison, IN, before retiring in 1974. He received his MBA from Stanford University in 1960.

After his retirement from the Army, he worked as the Comptroller at Crossroads Rehabilitation Center and then as the Administrative Manager of the Family Practice Clinic at Methodist Hospital, both in Indianapolis, retiring in 1987.

He was a dedicated member of several Masonic organizations throughout his life, holding many offices. He was Worshipful Master of Oakland Lodge in Indiana, as well as Worthy Patron of Eastern Star organizations in Heidelberg, Germany and Lawrence, IN.  Dedicated to charitable works, he was also a member of The Shriners, The Rotary Club, The Elks, The VFW, Disabled American Veterans, and the American Legion. He was a member of both the Community Methodist Church of Green Valley, AZ, and the First United Methodist Church of Olympia, WA.

He is preceded in death by his parents Stanley and Gertrude (Evans) and sisters Mabel Carter and Thelma Bakke. He is survived by his wife of 66 years Claudia, sister Helen St. Louis, children Claudia, John, Stan (Rosanne), and Jeanette (Roger Wachtel), as well as 6 grandsons, Owen and  David Zahorcak (Saki Nakamura), Thomas, Benjamin, and Joshua Wachtel, and Nelson Sterling.

A memorial service will be held at a later date to accommodate out of town family.