William Lee "Bill" McIlroy

May 31, 1924 - April 3, 2020

William Lee “Bill” McIlroy May 31, 1924 – April 3, 2020 Sunnyvale, California William Lee “Bill” McIlroy went to be with our Lord and Savior on Friday, April 3, 2020 after a long and full life. Bill was born at home on the family farm at Cass, Arkansas to William Christopher and Ida Faye Weaver McIlroy. Bill was predeceased by his loving wife of sixty-five Mary Helen Moore McIlroy. Bill and Mary, of Cushing Oklahoma, married on July 1, 1948. He was also predeceased by his parents, his sister Theresa Faye McIlroy Towner of Fairfield, Ca. and his brother Grady McIlroy of Alameda, Ca. Bill is survived by his son William Christopher McIlroy of Santa Rosa, Ca., Grandchildren Simon A. McIlroy and wife Michelle of Burbank, Ca. with Great Grandchildren Sophie, Beatrix, Annabelle, and Abigail, Granddaughter Crystal Lyn McIlroy of Elk Grove, Ca. with Great Grandson Liam, Grandson Nicholas Kyle Wilson of Sparks Nevada with Great Grandson Brayden; his daughter Lucy Margaret Warren of Santa Clara, Ca. and Grandson Joseph Daniel Warren of Santa Clara, Ca.; and son Matthew Lee and wife Barbara Lee Nordt McIlroy of Sunnyvale, Ca., Grandchildren Charles Patrick McIlroy of Prairie Grove Ark. with Great Grandchildren Barrett Grady and Blakely Rose and their Mother, Kristin Michelle Lindsey McIlroy of Fayetteville, Ark., and Grandson, Daniel Edward and wife Tracie Schmidt of Medina, Ohio with Great Grandchildren Layla and Nathan; and special Nephew David A. McIlroy of Pleasant Hill, Ca. Bill is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins in Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and California. Bill was baptized as a Southern Baptist at the first Southern Baptist Church in Ozark, Arkansas. He was a deacon there, superintendent of Sunday schools, and taught the young adults and college and career classes. Bill attended eighteen one and two room rural country schools in Franklin County, Ark., graduated from Ozark High School in Ozark, Ark., and entered Arkansas Tech University in Russellville, Ark. at fifteen years old. An athlete, he played football and baseball for Ozark H.S. and Arkansas Tech. He was also a AAU and Golden Gloves boxer for the Ark. Tech Wonder Boy’s. He boxed for the Second Marine Corps Div. during WW II and played Semi-Pro football after the war for the Crockett Rockets in Crockett, Ca. from 1948 to 1951. Bill was a Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts leader. He coached for the Sunnyvale Serra Little League and Senior League. He also coached for the Cupertino Babe Ruth and Senior Babe Ruth Leagues. For many years he was a Little League umpire. Bill was a farmer/rancher in Arkansas, a bridge maintenance and structural steel Foreman for Caltrans, and a bridge inspector for the Arkansas Highway Department. He spent 42 years as a bridge man. He also taught first aid, bridge work, management and administration, and mathematics in adult education. While working on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, he was the first to integrate it. He was a member of the Arkansas Cattleman’s Assoc. and the Arkansas Farm Bureau. During WW II, Bill served in the US Navy, with the 1st, 2nd, and 5th Marine Divisions, and with the USNI. He was a hospital corpsman with school at Balboa Park, San Diego, Ca., received Marine Raider training at Camp Elliot, and further training at Camp Pendleton. He served at Guadalcanal, Eniwetok, Saipan, Tinian, and Okinawa. As he said, I had many D Days.” He and Grady were both slated for the invasion of Japan but were saved by the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He landed at Nagasaki and served later at Miyazaki. He then saw USNI service through April, 1946. He was a disabled US veteran and a life member of the DAV. Those who remember Bill will remember his love of dogs and in particular, his Belgian Shepherd, Big, His Doberman Pinscher, Nitro, and his Border Collie, Maggie. All three dogs made numerous trips with him between California and Arkansas. They all worked with him on the farm herding cattle, horses, and pigs. Maggie was trained to obey commands in Japanese. Bill was a lifelong marksman and hunter. He grew up hunting for food to feed the family during the depression with his .22 rifle. He later hunted fished in Ca. and Ark. Teaching his extended family to do so. He enjoyed deep sea fishing as well. Most of all, Bill loved being with people. He made friends everywhere and enjoyed telling his tales. He touched many lives. Open viewing at Shaffer Funeral Home Ozark, Arkansas from 1:00 PM until 9:00 PM Wednesday, April 15, 2020. Graveside Service will be held 2:00 PM Thursday, April 16, 2020 at Highland Cemetery in Ozark, Arkansas with Brother Ted Darling officiating under direction of shaffer Funeral Home. To leave online condolences visit: www.shafferfuneralhomeozark.com Honorary Pallbearers for W. L. “Bill” McIlroy According to Dad, “There were many chapters in my life. These were special, each and all had a significant part and place with me, my sons, and my family. Tomodachis all. W. L. McIlroy Robert Blaha Wanda Breckenridge Lavelle D. Brown Elliot S. Burdick Orville “Pappy” Campbell John “Swede” Carlson Al Cimino Carter J. Corey Sr. ________ Cross Al Davis Aldo Da Re (Aldo Ray) Loren Davis Harrison Dickerson Dawn Dunn E. R. Foley Lee Forest E. E. Fye Joe Garavella Jackie Gibbons Clair Gibson Bill Hall Carl Hamilton Alvin D. Herden John Jackson Andy Janovich Jim Kelley R. D. Kinsey Goodwin Knight Coy Lee Harold “Hal” Lorimer Tolly Lucas D.E. Marsh Coy Mayfield Debbie McClellan Joe McClellan Paul McQueen Chuck Moore T. W. Moose Julius Morris Aria Price Buford Pruitt C. H. Purcell Jim Rowland Norman Snyder Bill Sossamon Willie Thibodeaux Gilbert Tolberg Al Thomas Johnny Verduce Earl Wolthuis Howard Wood Al Zampa Further obituary information about my Dad, W.L. McIlroy by M. L. “Matt” McIlroy. Dad was born at home at Cass, Arkansas in Franklin County without a doctor in attendance. He had multiple traumatic injuries before, during, and after WW II. As a hospital corpsman, he became expert at treating his own wounds. His records were incomplete as a result. He tried to have his records amended long after the war to no avail. At best, his discharge was piecemeal, not even listing the stations he served on. He greatly regretted the loss of his sea bag containing a Japanese battle signed by all of the surviving members of his batallion on Saipan. He suffered a stabbing wound on Saipan during the Japanese banzai attack at Tanapag, he was rescued by his good friend W. Coy Mayfield of Batson, Ark. Mayfield, previously wounded, bandaged and tagged for evacuation by Dad, saw other marines from their unit pass by his stretcher on the beach. He called out, “Where’s Mac?” Told he was back in his fox hole and wounded, Mayfield rolled off the stretcher, picked up a .30 carbine and a bandolier. He crawled back to the position and up to the fox hole. He called in, “Are you still alive?” When Dad responded in the affirmative, the pulled and pushed the dead Japanese officer off Dad. Together they got Dad out and Mayfield crawled to the beach with Dad on his back. When back on the beach, Dad stitched himself up. Mayfield dropped the .30 carbine and bandolier, rolled back onto the stretcher, and asked for a cigarette. Mayfield was evacuated. Dad went on to the island to island invasion of Tinian. I still have the samurai sword that Dad brought back from the dead Japanese officer. Dad later gave the eulogy for Coy Mayfield when he passed away in Harrison, Ark. Mayfield still carried mortar shrapnel in his head from Saipan when he passed.. Dad once observed, “Where I grew up, there were no doctors or stores less than a full day’s ride by horse or wagon and team. No cars or car roads, no phones, radios, televisions, electricity, or ice boxes (refrigerators). I plowed oxen and went to eighteen different country one-room schools in six years. I graduated high school and was in college at sixteen (August, 1940). I was suturing livestock, family, and neighbors by age twelve. I sutured a lot of marines during WW II. I sutured myself three times. I gave myself all of my own shots during WW II. I gave about 80,000 shots to marines during the war. (As a child, I can remember Dad carrying marine corps medical and surgical bags in his car trunk. I can show many places where he sutured me). Dad always said that he would always be these things, a bridge man (W. L. McIlroy: A Bridgeman a film by Richard Schatzman has been shown on the Discovery Channel and can be viewed at the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge Museum), a U.S. Marine, a farmer, and a Baptist. He loved the Eastern Span of the bridge from the Oakland approaches to the Western end of the Yerba Buena Island tunnel. He knew every inch of it. From the bay water to the top of the towers. He considered it his bridge. He loved to sit up on the top tower near the end of the day as the sun was setting over the Pacific in the West. Dad was always ecstatic to see a fellow former WW II marine such as Pee-Wee Jones in Ozark, Arkansas. Dad regaled with tales of Pee-Wee’s bravery under fire. Dad, along with cousin W. Dee Gober taught me cattle work and farming. Dad was both an Arkansawyer and a Prune Picker. He was a civil rights advocate and raised our family that way.