William Claude Geoghegan Jr.

Known around town and at St. James Catholic Church as “Bill” or “Mr. Geoghegan”, he was born in the community of Chestnut Grove, KY on November 1, 1921 to the late William, Sr. and Mallie Morgan Taylor Geoghegan. He is preceded in death by his wife, Carol Hope Fisher Geoghegan, a son, Patrick “Pat” William Geoghegan (Jean Marie Geoghegan), a daughter, Christine Ann Geoghegan Amberger (Eugene Amberger), a granddaughter, Carol-Marie Skees, a grandson Jeff Geoghegan, and a great-grandson, Nicholas Martin. He is also preceded in death by eight siblings, Mary Geoghegan Langford Livers (Joseph Alfred Livers), Elizabeth “Lib” Taylor Geoghegan Abell (Edward Carpenter Abell), John Allen Geoghegan (Jennie Moore Hurst Geoghegan), Thomas “Tom” Richard Geoghegan (Nellie Rita Howard Geoghegan), Sarah Middleton Geoghegan Millett (Merritt Rogers Millett), Malcolm “Mac” Humphries Geoghegan (Lucibelle “Lucy” Allen Geoghegan), Alvis “Al” Howard Geoghegan (Anita Fern Schneider Geoghegan), Dorothy Jean Geoghegan Keller (Joseph Hobson Keller).

Bill is survived by five children, Michael Lee Geoghegan, Thomas Earl Geoghegan, Mary Geoghegan Cron (Russ Cron), Charles Edward Geoghegan (Edna Dare Geoghegan), John Claude Geoghegan (Lilian Betancourt); five grandchildren, Teresa Danielle Pendleton, Teresa Helen Geoghegan Brown (Mike Brown), Rachel Erin Geoghegan, Amanda Rae Geoghegan Yates, Kevin Matthew Geoghegan, and Elizabeth Geoghegan Frame; twelve great-grandchildren and two great-great-granddaughters.

From his childhood home of Chestnut Grove near Shelbyville, his parents moved the family to Bardstown, where he spent his formative years helping with his father’s truck farming. Seeking adventure, Bill enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1940 as a Seaman and honorably served until his discharge as Chief Petty Officer in 1961. He was awarded the Good Conduct medal, American Defense medal, WWII Victory citation, and a Presidential Testimonial for work on missile test platforms. He also served on the aircraft carrier USS Midway and missile test vessel USS Norton Sound as Chief Aviation Metalsmith. In this capacity he worked extensively on adapting jet propulsion systems to aircraft to enable faster, shorter take-offs. He later named his family’s Border Collie “Jato” after the acronym for Jet Assisted Take Off.

During his time in the service, Bill met and married his one-and-only love, Carol Fisher, in 1947 in Pennsylvania where their first son, Patrick, was born in 1949. A new duty station took the Geoghegans to Oxnard, California where his remaining six children were born. A decade later in anticipation of retiring and moving back east, he and a good friend built a cargo trailer in which they developed and installed an innovative automatic braking system.

Following his military service, Bill moved his family to a small farm near Elizabethtown. Here, closer to his extended family and friends, he took a job with the U.S. Department of the Post Office (later the U.S. Postal Service), first in Radcliff and later transferred to Elizabethtown. During his 19-year stint, he developed a simplified addressing system that could be used by anyone, including police and emergency services, to easily and quickly locate residents by road/street and house number. A very similar system has since been adopted by E911 and is still in use today.

Thoroughly convinced that farm life was the best life for raising children, Bill focused his attention on learning modern farming techniques and livestock to supplement the family income. The amount of

work the farm required also proved helpful in teaching the family basic survival skills and kept his boys busy and out of trouble. They remember him as small in stature, but a force to be reckoned with. Between crops and cattle and rebuilding an old saw mill (that he aptly named Ye Ol’ Saw Mill), Bill produced lumber for the farm and introduced non-rolling, square tier poles for neighboring farmers’ tobacco barns. With his “Ye Ol’ Sawmill” lumber business he sawed high-quality, custom lumber for many years - “Come see what I saw!”

As his children began exploring their own paths, he and his wife, Carol, continued farming, enjoyed visits from their grandchildren, and grew closer to their faith at Saint James Catholic Church where they served on the Bereavement Committee. For several years Bill practiced his cabinetry skills at the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Thrift Store in Elizabethtown, volunteering to repair and restore all types of donated wood furniture for resell. He also gladly served as a church usher, made shelving for the food bank and many, many votive candle holders in his workshop. He’s been a member of the Knights of Columbus since 1962. A devoted husband, he cared for his wife, Carol, in their home until her death in 2010.

He will be both celebrated and missed by his family and friends and anyone who knew him.

Visitation will be Friday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Brown Funeral Home.

The funeral will be Saturday at 11 a.m. at St. James Catholic Church with Father Michael Wimsatt officiating. Burial will follow in St. James Cemetery

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Saint Vincent de Paul.