William Connors' Obituary
William Keith “Bill” Connors of Memphis, TN passed away February 3, 2011 surrounded by his family at the home of his daughter in Olive Branch, MS who along with her husband John and son Connors cared for him in his last days. The family will receive friends from 1 pm to 2 pm Sunday, February 6, with the service to follow at 2 PM at Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery in Memphis, TN. Bill Connors was born on May 10, 1921, in Wetmore, MI, a small town in the Upper Peninsula of the state but settled in Memphis after WWII to work and raise a family with Margaret Jayne “Betty” Gilmer who preceded him in death. Bill was a man shaped by the momentous times in which he lived. Growing up on a dairy farm in rural MI during the Great Depression, one of eleven children, his family instilled a strong work ethic in him at an early age. He al so learned a sense of value for all things; even a bent nail had value, to be saved, straightened and used again when the next project came along. Bill served honorably in the Pacific Theatre during WWII as a Sergeant in the US Marine Corps, in locations as famous as Guadalcanal, the South China Sea, and many others whose names are now long forgotten such as New Caledonia. Returning from the war to continue flight training in Millington, TN, he met his future wife Betty and they were married on March 6, 1948, settling down in Betty’s home town of Memphis to raise three children; John Keith Connors, Howard Craig Connors and Debra Jane Moore. As most did in that day Bill worked at the same company for 30 years before retiring in 1977. He was employed by Kimberly Clark Corporation, in Maintenance Planning and Engineering. Bill then began a second successful career in Real Estate, finally retiring for good in 1993, moving to his country home in Middleton, TN, not to take a leisurely retirement but rather to work on projects he enjoyed and spend time in the outdoors that he loved so much. In addition to his wife Betty, Bill was also predeceased by his parents, James Joseph Connors and Grace O’Donnell Connors, his sister Margaret Pearl, and brothers O’Donnell (Don), George, John, Lloyd, and Ed. Bill is survived by two sons, John Keith Connors and his wife, Donna of Austin, TX, Howard Craig Connors and his wife, Virginia of Memphis, and one daughter Debra Jane Moore and her husband, John of Olive Branch, MS; two grandchildren John Connors Robinson Moore of Olive Branch, MS, and Katelyn Ann Connors of Austin, TX, three sisters, Grace “Kitty” Enders of Sunnyvale, CA; Patricia “Pat” Duncker of St. John, IN; and Eleanor “Babe” Welton of Lansing, MI, and one brother, Howard “Bud” Stephen Connors of Grand Rapids, MI. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be sent to the Tennessee Wildlife Federation or Getwell Road United Methodist Church. The family also wishes to thank the staff of A&E Hospice for their assistance, care and support of Bill.
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