Obituary William W. DeHart, Sr.
William Walter DeHart Sr.
William Walter DeHart, Sr., Resident of California
August 1, 1926-November 11, 2010
Bill was a long term resident of Santa Clara and Scotts Valley, prior to retiring to Palm Desert, CA and then Santa Barbara. He passed away after a short illness peacefully in Batavia, Illinois surrounded by his family.
Bill is survived by his wife of 63 years, Wilda and five children, Bill (Turlock, CA), Dave (Sunnyvale, CA), Don (San Jose, CA), Phil (Manila, Philippines), and Ruth Lindstedt (St. Charles, Ill.) He is also survived by his older brother Ken (Silver Spring, Md.). Bill had 14 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren, 9 nieces and nephews, and countless friends.
Bill served as a Yeoman second class in the Navy during WWII. Upon his honorable discharge, he married Wilda, the woman who became his lifelong companion.
He first attended Wheaton College, Wheaton, Ill. He received his BS degree in Public Administration from American University in Washington, DC. Bill held a variety of civil service positions including the Small Business Administration in San Francisco, and in industry at Lockheed in Sunnyvale. He and Wilda started a printing business in 1972 which at one time employed over 100 people. He retired from the family business in 2000. He spent his retirement years traveling with his wife, gardening, reading, writing, and researching his family's genealogy, which was one of his many passions.
Bill was laid to rest at the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Cemetery, Elwood, Ill. with full military honors.
He will be remembered always with fondness from his entire family and those fortunate enough to have known him and called him a friend.
A Celebration of Life service will be held at Foothill Covenant Church, Los Altos, CA on Saturday, December 18th.
His family has requested that in lieu of flowers, any gifts be sent to the following organization where Bill spent his final days: The Good Samaritan Fund c/o Holmstad Covenant Retirement Community 700 W. Fabyan Parkway, Batavia, Ill. 60510 in memory of William DeHart.
Published in San Jose Mercury News/San Mateo County Times on November 16, 2010
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