William W Poorman

Bill Poorman passed away on July 22, 2024. He was born in Salem, Oregon on March 22, 1926

to Veva Buick and Forest Winfred Poorman. Bill graduated from Salem High School in 1943

and immediately joined the Navy during WWII, where he served in the Pacific and northern

China coastal areas. He was honorably discharged in 1946. He graduated from Oregon State

University in 1949.

Bill served as an electronic design engineer at Bremerton Naval Shipyard until joining General

Electric as a military field engineer. During the Korean War, he supervised the installation and

operation of GE’s Navy Sonar Systems. After duty in the Far East, Bill was transferred to GE’s

Heavy Military Electronics division in Syracuse, NY, where he rose through the management

ranks in sales, marketing and contracts. He was a member of the ELFUN Society, and after

retiring in 1986, an officer of the GE retirees luncheon club.

Bill was married to the former Joan Elliott of Portland, OR in 1952. They had three sons, John,

William and David, and two grandchildren, Nicholas Poorman and Kelsey Poorman Hair.

Bill had a life long love of the water, sailing and boating. He was a Past Commodore of both the

Willow Bank Yacht Club and the Henderson Harbor Yacht Club. He taught boating classes as a

NY certified instructor for over 46 years, as well as for the US Power Squadron (USPS) for over

26 years. Bill was a Life Member of the USPS and served as an Executive Officer for the local

squadron. He was a member of the Naval Institute and the American Society of Naval

Engineers. He served on the boards of Planned Parenthood, the GE Federated Fund, and on

the Vestry of Trinity Episcopal Church, Fayetteville, NY.

Bill is predeceased by his beloved wife of 68 years, and is survived by his children and

grandchildren.

He is interred at Sarasota National Cemetery. A memorial service will be held at Christ

Episcopal Church, 407 E. Seneca St, Manlius, NY on September 21 at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of

flowers, please consider a donation to Clear Path For Veterans, Planned Parenthood or

Henderson Harbor Water Sports Program.

A graveside service for William was be held Wednesday, August 21, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 1:30 PM Beach Memorial Chapel, 301 COREY AVE, ST PETE BEACH, FL 33706 was in charge of the arrangements