William C. Stouffer

Bill spent his youth in the rich farm land of the mid-west, riding a horse to school, playing baseball, football, working, and cutting up with his many cousins whose farms surrounded his. He learned to harvest his neighbor's crops using the steam engine that his father and uncle built, run the saw mill the family owned and worked with his dad at the gas company they ran. At the time cars were so new that one traveled with extra tires tied to the sides of the car.

He graduated from Norborne High School and attended Liberty College. He was working at Consolidated Aircraft in Ca. when WWII began. Because of his unique understanding of airplanes and flight he was transferred to Willow Run, Henry Ford's converted bomber plant in Dearborn, MI. There Bill met and worked with Ford and Chas. Lindberg. He wrote the rigging manual for the B24 bomber, served as a Flight Inspector, obtained his pilot's license, and served in the Navy while in his mid to late 20's. At the end of the war, Bill moved to Birmingham, AL. There he worked at the Bectal-McCone Heavy Bomber Modification Plant where he met his future wife, Katie, on the flight line. They were married in 1945 & moved to Orlando where they raised their children, Gary and Gretchen, in College Park.

Bill worked in the auto industry for more than 50 years and at one time owned the Pontiac/Buick Dealership in Kissimmee. He joined the Masons in l955, serving on the Director's Staff. He spent countless hours with old friends working in the service of others. Katie and Bill's spiritual life was centered in Westwood Church. There they met and worshiped with caring friends who enriched their lives.

Bill lived a long and fulfilling life, loved by the woman he adored and surrounded by his family with whom he spent so many great times. He was a happy soul who loved his God and his family deeply, never met a stranger, and always saw the wonderful side of life. Preceded in death by his dear wife, parents, and sister Erdis, Bill is survived by his children Gary and Gretchen, grandchildren Clay Boyd (Whitley), and Ashley Zenzel (Jon), and great-grandchildren Hudson and Jackson Boyd and Campbell Zenzel.

Service will be Saturday, Feb. 8, 2014 at 2:00pm at Woodlawn Funeral Home in Gotha. Pastor Jeff Simpson of Westwood Church will be officiating. Mr. Stouffer's family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in his name to the Wounded Warriors Project.

Arrangements under the direction of Woodlawn Memorial Park & Funeral Home, Gotha, FL.