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<p><em>Joseph William “Bill” Squire</em> was born in Attica, NY on December 20, 1935. His mother died from complications after childbirth, and his father sent him to live with relatives. His grandmother took care of Bill until he was 7 years old, when she unexpectedly passed. Bill was then shuffled from relative to relative. As he got older, he lived with strangers because he could work on their farms. It was on one of these farms he remembered seeing a slow-moving bubble helicopter flying over the farm, and that piqued his interest in aviation.</p>
<p>He completed high school while working on a large dairy farm. He decided farming was not in his future, and, since he could not afford college, he joined the NY Army National Guard. He applied the night before the deadline, took the Guard’s exam, and was accepted into a group attending National Guard Prep School at the New York City Community College in Brooklyn. From there he went on to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and was proud to be a graduate in the Class of 1960.</p>
<p>Bill’s first tour on active duty was with the 82nd at Fort Bragg, NC as a second lieutenant Airborne Ranger with a mortar battery of an infantry battle group. It was here that Bill and I met, and we were married on July 28, 1962 at the Fort Bragg Chapel. We were then transferred to Fort Rucker, AL for a three-year tour, where Bill was assigned to a staff assignment at the flight school. It was at Fort Rucker that we welcomed the birth of our two daughters, Susan and Sheri. Bill then had consecutive aviation tours in Korea, then the Republic of Vietnam, before being assigned to the Aviation School at Fort Stewart, GA, where we welcomed the birth of our son, Joe, in 1969. Bill then completed his final overseas tour, in Thailand. Along the way, Bill was grounded for five years due to colon cancer and experienced a period of separation from the Army.</p>
<p>Bill’s medical history was a strong incentive to remain with the federal government. He alternated between civil service and tours of military duty, culminating with more than four years as director of reserve components at Fort Rucker before retiring from military service in 1984. He returned to the Fort Bragg area and served as a Department of the Army civilian with special operations, resource management, and retired in 2002 as an environmental engineer with the Public Works. It was with Public Works that Bill initiated Fort Bragg’s first recycling program. As an environmental engineer, he also saved the habitat of the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker at Fort Bragg.</p>
<p>Bill was an intelligent, loving, persistent and witty man with an infectious laugh that warmed our hearts. He was a loyal federal employee, devoting 47 years of his life serving his country. He was always reading and learning new things. While in the military he received a master’s degree in management and systems management, and in retirement he took advantage of our local community college, taking many courses in things like home repair and stock-trading. After his retirement from civil service, rather than slowing down, Bill dabbled in flipping homes. It gave him satisfaction to buy a foreclosed eyesore and bring it back into a functioning, beautiful home. </p>
<p>Bill was a selfless family man who, on his wedding day, took financial responsibility for my disabled mother. We found true love during our almost 57 years of marriage. Bill always let me know I was first in his life. He made sure his children knew he loved them even when he was stationed overseas. He always sent them recorded messages, and they mastered at a young age having to say “over” when they talked to him overseas. His children always felt proud to be military “brats” because it meant to them they were adaptable, resilient, and loved their country. He passed on to his children his great love for animals. In retirement he surrounded himself with basset hounds. He leaves behind his final basset, Buster, whom he saved from animal control. </p>
<p>He also was a loving grandpa to his grandchildren: Nick, Jessica, Jordan, Faith and Joy. Many afternoons, he spent tutoring Jordan through high school and college, and Faith and Joy through most of their high school years. One of his hobbies was woodworking, and he put it to good use when building playhouses and game console cabinets for his grandchildren.</p>
<p>Bill’s persistence served him well in life. It allowed him to overcome his father’s abandonment and fueled him to succeed. His persistence led him away from the farm life and led him to West Point to become a loyal servant of 47 years to his country. His persistence also led him to fight his three bouts of cancer within a 30-year period. He bravely endured the surgery and/or chemotherapy for the first three cancers. On the fourth cancer he feverishly sought help from his dismissive primary physician, and unfortunately it took an ambulance transport to the ER to diagnose the cancer in February 2019. Even with stage IV cancer, he fought hard that last month. Through it all, he remained steadfast in his love and commitment to his family. His famous words were always “standing by” when asked how he was doing, but, to his family, that didn’t describe Bill. It should have been “pressing on” for all he had to endure. His suffering ended March 17, 2019, and may he now rest in peace.</p>
<p><em>— Mitzi Squire </em></p>
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