William Lathrop Magnuson

William L Magnuson, 79, died Sunday, September 9, 2012 in Houston Texas.

He was born May 28, 1933 in Harvard, Illinois, to Edward Lazelle and Gertrude Maude (Lathrop) Magnuson. He was married to Virginia L. Lens on September 19, 1959 in Rockford Illinois. They divorced in September 1981 in Houston Texas. He lived in Bellaire (Houston) Texas for 6 years (Jan 1968- Dec 1972), in Midland Texas for 1 year 1973, and Houston Texas for 38.5 years (Jan 1974-Sep 2012).

For 4 years he was on active duty in the Navy (March 1952 to March 1956). He went to boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center (Co 138 and member of the Blue Jackets Choir) followed by Airman “P” School at Norman, OK, and then followed by Aerographers Mate School at NAS Lakehurst, NJ (class 5245). He reported aboard the USS Lake Champlain (CVA-39) in March 1953. The ship sailed for a 7 month Korean deployment and then returned to the US in November 1953. He was transferred off ship in April 1955 to the U.S. Fleet Weather Central at the Marine Corps Air Station in Miami (Opalocka) in Florida and subsequently discharged from active service duty at the facility in March of 1956 with rank of First Class Petty Officer (AG1). Medals include: Navy Good Conduct, Navy Occupation, National Defense, United Nations, Korean Service with 1 battle star (K-10), Syngman Rhee Presidential Citation, and Korean War Service. He was released from inactive service in March 1960.

He attended the University of Illinois (Champaign Urbana) on the GI bill from Fall 1956 through January 1961 and graduated with a B.S. degree in Petroleum Engineering.

For 28.5 years (Jan 1967-1989), he was a Petroleum Engineer for Shell Oil Co. He joined Shell Oil Co in their West Coast Region. After many short training assignments in the first year (1961), he was assigned to the Ventura CA office for the next five years (1962-1966). This was followed by a five year assignment to the Bellaire (Houston) Texas research lab (1968-1972) which was followed by positions in field projects while maintaining home in Houston (1973-1989). Project/Locations included West Texas, Central Illinois, Northern Michigan, north coast/Beaufort Sea, Alaska, European Partnerships, Cameroon, Syria, Tunisia, and Brazil. He retired from Shell in 1989.

He was a member of Spring Woods United Methodist Church in Houston.

Surviving are four children, James W. Magnuson of Oklahoma City OK, Kenneth E. Magnuson of Sacremento CA, David L. Magnuson of Austin TX, and Barbara A. (Magnuson) Christie of Portland OR, and 5 grand children.

Preceding him in death was his older brother Edward L. Magnuson Jr.

Visitation will be 10AM to 12noon Saturday, Sep. 22, in the Calvary Hill Funeral Home in Humble TX. The Funeral will be at 12 noon immediately following the visitation on Saturday, Sep. 22, also in the Calvary Hill Funeral Home in Humble TX, the Rev. Don Kid officiating. Burial will be in Mount Auburn Cemetery, in Harvard Illinois.