Lt Col Cecil B Williams

Sunday, December 04, 1927 to Saturday, June 13, 2015 A Resident of Rolla, MO Visitation Services will be held on Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at the Liley Funeral Home in Patton, MO Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 12:00 PM at the Liley Funeral Home in Patton, MO The Final Resting Place is at the Patton Cemetery in Patton, MO Lt. Col. Cecil B. Williams, Age 99, of Rolla, MO, passed away on Thursday, June 11, 2015. He was born January 30, 1916 near Mayfield, in Bollinger County, MO, son of Cornelius Bennett and Amelia Catherine Green Williams. He attended both Green and Seabaugh elementary schools. His high school years were spent at Patton High School, Will Mayfield Academy, and Marquand High School, where he graduated in 1935. While attending school at Marquand, he met his future wife on a school bus on the way to a math competition. He taught school at the Seabaugh School and attended Southeast Missouri State College in Cape Girardeau. He volunteered for military service April 10, 1941 in the U.S. Army Air Corps, (later known as the Air Force), at Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis, MO. After basic training and Radio School at Scott Air Force Base, IL, he was transferred to Cochran Field in Macon, GA, to train British Cadets. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Sgt. Williams was selected for Officer Candidate School in Miami Beach, FL. After graduation and promotion to 2nd Lt., he returned to Jefferson Barracks and married Lillian Irene Ward of Marquand on July 12, 1942. Lt. Williams was transferred to Hickham Field, in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He was assigned to the 7th Air Force and to HQ Kahuku Army Air Base on the north shore of Oahu. He spent time in the Pacific Ocean Area, on Funafuti in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, and was transferred back to Hickam Field when Japan surrendered. After Captain Williams was released from military duty at Jefferson Barracks, he was employed by the St. Louis Post Office as a railway mail clerk. He sorted mail on the St. Louis to Little Rock train route. He remained in the reserves and was recalled during the Korean War in the rank of major in March 1951 as the Hq. Air Training Command Postal Officer at Scott Air Force Base. He was promoted to the rank of Lt. Colonel before retiring in 1963 after 35 years of active and reserve duty. Lt. Col. Williams belonged to the Masonic Order, his Blue Lodge being in Millersville, MO, Scottish Rite and Shrine, and the Rock Hill, MO, Presbyterian Church. He volunteered and worked with the Rock Hill Civil Defense Unit. He retired from the Postal Service in 1976. He worked part time at Art Mart Inc., Warson Woods, MO in the printing field for over 20 years. He pursued his interest in genealogy, gathering documents of the Bollinger family by traveling to libraries, court houses, and cemeteries in many states as well as traveling to Switzerland. He was the assistant editor of the "The Bollinger Connections", a compilation of the genealogy of the Bollinger family, and was instrumental in getting the book published. Cecil (C.B.) and Lillian enjoyed traveling, visiting all 50 states, as well as Canada, Mexico, and Europe. They celebrated 71 years of marriage together. Survivors include daughters Linda Diane (Charles Richard) Armistead of St. James, MO; Terri Lynn (Gerald Warner) Carlson of Richmond, VA; three grandchildren Michael Charles Armistead, Gerald Leon Carlson, Jennifer Nicole Carlson, brother Jewell A. (Ted) Williams, and two nephews Donald Loy Ward and Rick Dee Williams. He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Lillian Irene Williams, nephew Clyde Delano Ward and niece Vicky Lee Moore. Visitation will be Wednesday, June 17, 2015 at 11:00 AM at the Liley Funeral Home in Patton, MO. There will be a Masonic Service at 11:30 AM conducted by West View Masonic Lodge. The funeral service will be at 12:00 PM at the Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Fred Ritter officiating. Interment will follow in the Patton Cemetery with full military honors conducted by the Missouri Honors Team.

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Lt Col Cecil B Williams

December 4, 1927 - June 13, 2015