William Eugene “Bill” Pilcher, 89, of Tifton died Sunday, October 21, 2012, at Maple Court Assisted Living. A funeral service with military honors will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 24, 2012, in the Chapel of Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals. Rev. Stephen Webb will officiate with burial to follow in Oak Ridge Cemetery. Grandsons will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearers will be members of the Fellowship Sunday school class of Tifton’s First United Methodist Church. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, October 24, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. until the hour of the service at Bowen-Donaldson Home for Funerals.
Mr. Pilcher, a veteran of three wars, was born on May 28, 1923 in Schley County to Willis Jefferson Pilcher and Irma Lee Short Pilcher. He resided in Sumter, Upson and Spalding counties, until he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps after high school. He worked in national parks in California.
In 1942, Mr. Pilcher joined the United States Navy and became a pharmacist’s mate (medic), stationed in Norfolk, Virginia, until shipping out to England for further training. On June 6, 1944 (D-Day), Mr. Pilcher landed on Utah Beach, Normandy, on an LST, loaded with soldiers and equipment. He retrieved the wounded to ship’s hospital for treatment. He made two more trips to shore in the next two weeks on the same mission. His last assignment in World War II was at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.
Mr. Pilcher returned to Americus and attended Georgia Southwestern College, until he enrolled in the United States Air Force Flight Training School. He became a second lieutenant pilot and married Louise Averett on the same day, February 25, 1949 at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona.
The Korean War broke out in June of 1950, and in July, Lieutenant Pilcher was assigned to the 80th Squadron, 8th Fighter Group, flying F-80s in combat. These squadrons also supplied pilots for Tactical Air Control Parties to the United States Army. In September of 1950, Lieutenant Pilcher was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 17th Regimental Combat Team of the 7th US Division with a radio operator and mechanic. The team’s mission was to call in air support for the ground troops. By Thanksgiving Day of 1950, the team had proceeded in a jeep from Inchon to the Yalu River, when the Chinese Army entered the war.
During the withdrawal southward, Lieutenant Pilcher’s team directed air strikes, which permitted the ground forces to withdraw and evacuate their wounded. For his action, the Army awarded him the Bronze Star with V device for Valor. During his career, he was also awarded the Air Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross. After returning to his fighter squadron in December, he completed his tour of duty, flying 100 missions.
Captain Pilcher was assigned to duty with the United States Navy from 1956-1957 as an exchange officer. He flew off the U.S.S. Yorktown, during an 8-month tour of Southeast Asia.
During the Vietnam War, Major Pilcher was serving as Operations Officer at Nha Trang Air Base, when the Tet offensive took place in 1968. He retired from the United States Air Force in September of 1971 with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Mr. Pilcher joined the Georgia Department of Labor the same year and was responsible for instituting the prototype of the state-wide computer system used by job seekers throughout the state. He retired from the department in 1983 and devoted more time to his golf game. He was an avid reader and enjoyed hosting family reunions at his Lake Blackshear cabin.
Mr. Pilcher was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Tifton and the Fellowship Sunday school class, where he had served as president and treasurer.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his siblings, Vivian Jones of Oklahoma; Arthur Ross Pilcher, of South Carolina; Ida McCrary of Warner Robins and Edgar Pilcher of Texas. He leaves his wife of 63 years, Louise Averett Pilcher; one daughter, Betty Pilcher Morrell of Tifton; three sons and two daughters-in-law, Ivan Randolph and Sharon Pilcher of Ozark, Alabama; William Herbert and Darlene Pilcher of Tifton and Bruce Alan Pilcher of Thomasville. His grandchildren are: Jeff Morrell of Columbia, South Carolina; Jimmy Morrell of Bartow County; Rob Morrell of Brunswick; Jason Pilcher of Wetumpka, Alabama; Tim Pilcher of Dothan, Alabama; Mark Pilcher of Montgomery, Alabama; Kari Palmer of Canton and Fawn Collingwood of Downingtown, Pennsylvania; and several nieces and nephews.
Mr. Pilcher was a loving and supportive husband and father, a devoted and generous benefactor to his 10 great-grandchildren and one great-great granddaughter. His family will remember him also for his service to country, community and church.
Memorial gifts may be made to the First United Methodist Church, 107 West 12th Street, Tifton, GA 31794; the Georgia Special Olympics, 4000 DeKalb Technology Parkway, Suite 44, Building 400, Atlanta, GA 30340, or to Hospice of Tiftarea, P. O. Box 747, Tifton, GA 31793.