William Ernest Barton

William Ernest Barton was born in Motown (Detroit, Michigan) on April 16, 1947, to Mary Barton. He had one brother, Dale, and twin sisters Karen and Kathleen Murphy after the union of Mary to James Murphy. He was also blessed to be raised by Gertrude and William Hill and was always considered a part of their very large and loving family.

One of William’s first jobs was a paperboy and that is how he met the love of his life, Sandra, when he was 16 years old. At the age of 18, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1965. At 19, he married Sandra and had their first daughter, Angela. Fifteen months later, their second daughter, Antonette, was born.

William prospered and enjoyed his 20-year career as a Marine. He served as a grunt in the Vietnam War in 1967-1968, assigned to the 3rd Marine Division, where he participated in major operations engaging the enemy forces of the People’s Army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong. His military assignments included Okinawa, South Carolina, and California where he served as a chef, photographer, and museum curator.

William always had a love for basketball, his first love, and playing cards, his second love. He played and coached basketball recreationally at various military bases. He also coached his daughters’ base basketball team. William and Sandra always enjoyed watching NBA basketball together, cheering on the Detroit Pistons. They also became Los Angeles Lakers fans and went to the some of their games while stationed in California. Playing cards was a life-long enjoyment and everywhere William went, he tried to start a game of cards. He even played in Vietnam for money and sent his winnings home to his wife.

William retired from the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton, California in March 1986, as a Master Sergeant, and returned to his hometown of Detroit, Michigan. He joined the United States Postal Service as a mail carrier in 1987. William’s great work ethic and tenacity did not go unnoticed, and he soon was placed in a supervisor program. Throughout his 17-year career he held several supervisory positions and excelled at making process improvements. He was the man who was called to turn around failing operations including after an employee went “postal.” William retired from the post office in 2004 and started life again twice retired.

Although a retiree, William was not a man to sit around and believed in working whether paid or unpaid. He held office and volunteered in his community HOA. He became a member of the Non-Commissioned Officers Association (NCOA) and enjoyed years of advocating for veterans, attending conferences, and assisting veterans file VA benefit claims. He also found time to travel with his family and friends.

The dream to identify and move to that perfect retirement spot came to fruition in 2013 when William and Sandra moved to San Antonio, Texas. They found great joy in living a short distance from their youngest daughter’s home and added to the family when they rescued Roger, a Chow/German Shepherd mix. They soon became San Antonio Spurs fans and season ticket holders. William became a member and volunteer at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church under the leadership of Pastor Jerry William Dailey. He also enjoyed volunteering with the Rance Olison Foundation and spending time in his RV. His oldest daughter and family moved to San Antonio in late 2019, shortly before William fell ill. William was happy that his daughters and their families resided within close proximity and really enjoyed the family being together. William’s last months were filled with hours upon hours of playing cards and putting together puzzles with his wife Sandra.

William passed on October 26, 2022, at the age of 75. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Sandra; daughters, Angela (Tony) and Antonette (Perry); grandsons, Perry William, Arik, and Aarron; granddaughters, Alysa and Ariel; sisters, Karen and Kathleen (Ken); aunt, Gwendolyn; and a host of many loving relatives and friends.

SERVICEWEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2022

12:00 P.M.

PORTER LORING WEST CHAPEL

1710 WEST LOOP 1604 NORTH

(Near SeaWorld)

A procession will leave Porter Loring at 1:45 p.m. to the graveside service in Ft. Sam Houston at 2:30 p.m.

To view a recording of the service, please click here.

Memorial contributions may be made to VFW Post 7108, 8795 FM 1560 N., Helotes, TX 78254 or to NCOA – Non-Commissioned Officers Association, 9330 Corporate Drive, Suite 708, Selma, TX 78154.