William Blamey passed away May 16 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Born May 7, 1915, in Duluth, Minn., William left school in the eighth grade to help his family by working as a teamster in the lumber camps around Tower, Minn. As the depression began to ease, he moved back to Duluth, Minn. and worked for the Kelvinator Company. In 1941, he moved to Long Beach, Cal. to work for Douglas Aircraft Company.
In August of 1941, William married his childhood sweetheart, Kathryn Jean Pfeiffer. In 1942, they moved back to Duluth and William enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He became an engine mechanic on P-47’s and was assigned to the 64th Fighter Squadron, 57th Fighter Group, and the 12th Air Force in Africa. He remained with this unit throughout the war, including campaigns in Africa, Sicily, Corsica, and Italy.
In late 1945, he was discharged. In 1947, he reenlisted in the Air Corps, soon to be Air Force, and completed a 28-year career, retiring as a Chief Master Sergeant. William earned numerous individual and unit awards in the Air Force, including the Bronze Star for his work with the 56th Special Operations Wing, at Nakom Phnom Royal Thai Air Base, assisting the wing in rescuing many airmen shot down over North Vietnam and Laos.
Returning to civilian life, William moved to Hawaii and began a career in sales with a number of companies, including Economic Laboratory, where he retired as Salesman of Year for Hawaii in 1990.
William is survived by a son, John and wife Pamella (Krah) Blamey of Waldoboro; granddaughter, Courtney of Boston, Mass.; brother, Gerald and wife Lorraine of Minneapolis, Minn.; sisters, Jules Garatz of Duluth, Minn., and Agnes and husband Glenn Benneviese of Little Rock, Ark.; along with a number of beloved nieces and nephews.
William was predeceased by his wife, Kathryn.
On May 30, a funeral with full military honors was held at the Hawaii State Veterans’ Cemetery at Kaneohe, Hawaii.
Arrangements were by Hawaii Memorial Park Mortuary, and the Hawaii State Veterans’ Cemetery, Kaneohe.
