William "Bill" Richard Becker

He was born on March 27,1931 in Miami, F.L. during the Great Depression to parents Richard Becker and Pauline Kristie, children of German and Czechoslovakian immigrants. The family relocated to Cincinnati, OH, where Bill graduated from Withrow High School in 1949 and from the University of Cincinnati in 1954, with a degree in Chemical Engineering.

He and the love of his life, Joan Lee Becker (nee Crawford) were married on June 5, 1954, one day after his college graduation, a marriage that lasted 52 years until Joan passed away in 2006. Bill is survived by three children, Mark Becker, Lorna Miller and Lisa Becker, son-in-law Paul Miller, daughter-in-law Carolien Annink, as well as three grandchildren, Alexander Becker, Sydney Miller and Charlotte Miller, and his sister Miriam.

His first job out of college at U.S. Steel was cut short when Bill received his draft notice from the U.S. Army in November 1954. He served two years active duty in Europe as a medic and was stationed in Metz, France, where he was accompanied by Joan. He served for six years in the ready reserves and was honorably discharged in 1962. After his return from Europe, Bill resumed his engineering career, with jobs at jobs at General Electric in Cincinnati, O.H. and the Coors Porcelain Company in Golden, C.O. Bill and Joan then started their family, with Mark born in 1962, Lorna in 1964 and Lisa in 1966. He returned to General Electric San Jose, CA in 1968, working in the Nuclear Energy Division. He and his family moved to Wilmington, N.C. in 1971, where he played an important role in launching a new plant manufacturing uranium fuel pellets for nuclear reactors. Bill was instrumental in developing chemical processes to recover uranium from the plant’s waste-water streams, which recycled the uranium and prevented it from being released into the environment. Bill received several awards from General Electric in recognition of his important contributions and was awarded patents for technical innovations he made over the course of his career.

Bill retired from General Electric after 30 years in 1996 to care for Joan, who had had a stroke and was incapacitated. Bill was her sole caregiver for the next 10 years until her death, during which time their love and commitment to each other continued unabated. He was an avid golfer for many years into his 80’s. He and Joan had many friends and an active social life. He was a history buff and particularly loved to learn about World War II and the Korean war. He was a deeply though quietly religious man. He was cheerful and optimistic despite the difficulties and losses he experienced in his life.

The viewing will be on May 20 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Brown Wynne funeral home at 200 S.E. Maynard Road, Cary, N.C. The burial service will be on May 21 at 1 p.m. at Greenlawn Cemetery in Wilmington, N.C.

There will be a funeral service led by Pastor Zumwalt of St. Matthews Lutheran Church in Wilmington where he was a parishioner. He will be laid to rest in the crypt next to his wife Joan. He touched the lives of many people, not just his family, but throughout his life and particularly during his last years in his assisted living home. Bill will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved him.