Bill was born and raised in Brighton Colorado on September 21, 1938 to William Wayne Lehr and Constine Isabelle Dixon. Bill is survived by his loving wife of 55 years, Donna Ann Bucci, his son Danny Lehr (Olga Lehr) of Lakewood New Jersey, and his daughters Theresa Lehr, Tina Nemeth of Glendale Arizona, Tonia Hofele of Las Vegas Nevada, and Tami Cortez (Chris Cortez) of Honolulu Hawaii. Bill is also survived by 7 brothers and sisters, 15 grandchildren, 12 great grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild on the way.
Seaman Bill a Navy veteran of the Vietnam War, where he earned several medals, including the Purple Heart and a Naval Air Medal. During his enlistment, Bill was part of the Mercury Program, assisted in a recovery mission, and was the sole survivor of a military plane crash. Once honorably discharged, Bill established a long career of 38 years with Continental Airlines. During his time at Continental Airlines, Bill was the ‘go-to’ mechanic who always knew how to fix a problem. Once retired, Bill and Donna moved to Glendale Arizona where Bill was able to put his ‘green thumb’ to work. Bill loved to care for his lawn and garden as well as tinker in his garage and around the house. There was never a broken item in the Lehr house!
Bill had a very giving heart. His actions and stories will be missed, however, his lessons will continue to be present. Bill’s joy and love he gave those who knew him shall be cherished and remembered.
A viewing will be held on Monday, March 18, 2019 from 1030-1130 at Chapel of the Chimes Mortuary, 7924 N 59th Avenue Glendale Arizona. Burial will follow at 1230 at the National Memorial Cemetery of Phoenix Arizona.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to be used to help with burial costs.
