Shrewsbury – William J. Stearns Jr., 72, of Shrewsbury, died at home with his family by his side on Monday, January 28th after a twelve year battle with cancer.
Bill is survived by his wife of 38 years, Elaine M. (Galvich) Stearns; two sons, Bill Stearns III and his wife Margaret of Hollis, NH and Bob E. Stearns and his wife Tanja of Westford, MA; his daughter, Lisa M. Harris and her spouse Virginia of Worcester; a brother, Thomas Stearns and his wife Beverly of Boquete, Panama; 8 grandchildren; many great grandchildren and several nephews and nieces.
Bill was born in Worcester, son of the late William J. Stearns Sr. and Helen T. (Powers) Stearns. He is predeceased by his brother Paul Stearns. Bill graduated from South High School and then enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1959. Stationed in France, Bill maintained C-130 aircraft in the 317th Cams unit. While not on base, Bill raised hell with his Triumph motorcycle. He waited in Norway with his unit for Gary Powers who never showed up. In Libya, the 317th assisted with the exploration of the Lady Be Good crash site. During a humanitarian relief mission in the Congo they found themselves with guns but no ammo and managed to escape by the skin of their teeth.
After Mr. Stearns was honorably discharged from the Air Force he worked as an Electrical Engineer in the Research and Development department of the David Clarke Company for 28 years. At David Clark he worked on systems for both the Mercury and Apollo space missions. In 1968 Bill was able to witness the launch of Apollo 8. He played an essential part in the design of the communication system for the famous Snoopy Cap which Neil Armstrong used to speak from the Moon. After the conclusion of the Apollo program, Bill continued his work on communication systems supporting the Space Shuttle missions. In 1988 the astronaut Woody Spring presented him with a Silver Snoopy award, making him one of the only civilians to receive this award from NASA for his dedication to the space program.
Upon leaving David Clark, he became the Vice President of Quality Control for 16 years at Electrowire of Leominster until his retirement in 2008.
Mr. Stearns was an avid restorer and collector of classic cars and served as a committee member for Friday Night Cruisin’ on Grove St. in Worcester. Bill was an Oldsmobile man and restored several, including two ’64s, a’59 and a’53. While battling cancer, he built a 1930 Ford hot rod from the ground up with a 403 Olds engine. He was a talented woodworker, carver and turner. He was in the process of building a custom street rod with an all wooden body.
Family and friends are invited to gather on Friday, February 1st from 11 to 12 noon in the Alfred Roy & Sons Funeral Home 12 Hammond St. Worcester. Burial with Military Honors will follow in Notre Dame Cemetery, Worcester. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society 30 Speen Street Framingham, MA 01701.
To share a memory of Bill, or offer a message of condolence to the family, or for directions, please visit www.Royfuneral.com