Obituary of William A. Willis

"South Hadley- William A. Willis, 81, of Hadley St., passed away on January 20, 2009 in Holyoke Medical Center surrounded by his loving family. Born December 28, 1927 in Ironton, Ohio, he was the son of James and Ernestine (Rice) Willis. He served his country in the U.S. Air Force for 20 years, during both the Korean and Vietnam War and was a member of the Air Force Retirement Association. William retired in 1992, after working for 25 years as a machinist at the former James River Company in South Hadley. Mr. Willis loved spending time with his wife, children and grandchildren and he was an avid Red Sox and golf fan. He is survived by his wife of 53 years Jacqueline M.(Godin) Willis, four daughters Holly Delphia and her husband Kenneth of South Hadley, Kelly Williams and her husband George of Fayetteville, NC, Tamra Abate and her husband David of Tewksbury, MA and Erin Trybus of South Hadley and a sister Jean Slatkovski of Carson City, NV. His beloved grandchildren William Delphia, Danielle Delphia, Michael Williams, Laurel Williams, Allison Abate and Dominic Trybus will also miss him along with several nieces and nephews. William was preceded in death by his son Michael S. Willis on Mar. 18, 2008 . The family would like to express a special thank you to the staff of Holyoke Medical Center for their genuine care of Mr. Willis. A Funeral Services will be held at Beers & Story South Hadley Funeral Home on Saturday at 9:00 a.m., followed by burial in the Evergreen Cemetery. Calling hours will be Friday from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm. Memorial contributions may be made to Holyoke Medical Center Developmental office, 20 Hospital Dr., Holyoke, MA 01040. For more information or to sign the online guest book, please visit www.beersandstory.com. "