Charles W. "Bill" Willard, 87, formerly of Manomet, MA and St. Petersburg, FL died March 1, 2008 at St. Luke's Hospital. Born in Natick, he was the son of the late Winn and G. Edith (Searles) Willard and the husband of the late Constance (Carney) Willard, who died in 2002.
He was a 1942 graduate of Babson College in Wellesley.
A career Army officer, he served in Europe during World War II with the 2nd Infantry Division and later with the 15th Field Artillery during the Korean conflict. Between the two wars, he and his brother, the late John Willard, ran Willard Brothers' Carpentry on Brattle St. in Cambridge. He was an artillery officer in Germany and throughout the United States, retiring in 1967 as a lieutenant colonel.
Retiring to Manomet, he and his wife worked together in real estate and enjoyed lobstering and boating. They moved to St. Petersburg, FL in 1981.
Mr. Willard is survived by a nephew, Winn Willard and his wife, Carolyn of South Dartmouth, grandnephews Benjamin Willard of Weston and Theodore Willard of Laguna Niguel, CA and grandniece Eleanor Willard of Washington, D.C. He is also survived by a niece, Christina DiNardo and her husband James and children Nicholas, Anna and Julia, all of Reading, MA.
His Funeral Service will be held on Thursday at 12 Noon in the Saunders-Dwyer Home For Funerals, 495 Park St. New Bedford. Burial will follow in the Massachusetts National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to St. Luke's Hospital, 101 Page St. New Bedford, MA 02740. For directions and guestbook, please visit www.saundersdwyer.com.