Bill Conner

William "Bill" Harold Conner was born June 1, 1925, in Indianapolis, Indiana, and lived briefly in Cuba with his family. He was the oldest child born to Jesse (Paul) and Bertha Conner. He is preceded in death by his brother Tommy Conner and sister Betty Ann Hillaker. His sister Pat Young is the last living sibling.

On September 3, 1949, William married the love of his life, Beverly Marie Dear, who had pre-deceased him in July 2014. They had five children; Stephen, James, David, Carolyn, and Daniel (now deceased). They had ten grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren, along with many nieces and nephews.

Bill served in the U.S. Navy during World War II from 1943 – 1946. He left high school to join the war when he was still 17. He served aboard three different ships, including the battleship U.S.S. North Carolina, on which he earned 12 battle stars. He saw action in many of the most famous battles in the Pacific, including the Marshall Islands, the Philippines, Okinawa, Iwo Jima, and Tokyo.

After the Navy, he worked at the U.S. Postal Service briefly, then moved on to work at North Island Naval Air Station, supporting his young family while going through the Navy Apprentice program to graduate as an Aircraft Electrician in 1953. He eventually became an Operations Analyst at North Island, ending his 35 year career in 1980. He was active in his local union, the Operations Analysis Association, serving as president from 1974 to 1976.

His love of the Boy Scouts organization began when he was 12 years old, and he rose to the rank of Life Scout. Once he returned from the war, he continued to mentor generations of young men as an assistant scoutmaster until 1964. Then he became an outstanding scoutmaster until he retired from scouting in 1986, winning the Good Shepherd Award because of his dedication.

He was a faithful church member all his adult life, and he was especially proud of serving as a Deacon, and eventually a Deacon Emeritus at Del Cerro Baptist Church.

He volunteered as a Reserve Sheriff with the San Diego Sheriff’s Department from 1963 until 1974. He was a master sharpshooter, and the San Diego Sheriff Reserve recruited him to their competitive shooting team, which he loved, and he won many awards in competitions held all over the state of California.

He lived a full and productive life, with so many other accomplishments that we don't have time to record them all. On July 17, 2024, he was called home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He will be missed by many.