William E. (Bill) Irons, Jr., 1944 ~ 2011
William E. (Bill) Irons, Jr., age 66, resident of St. George, Utah, passed away after a short battle with cancer on January 25, 2011. Bill put up a very honorable fight and wished to be remembered for his passion to live. He was born on Sept. 7, 1944, in Enid, OK, the son of William and Dorothy Irons. He is survived by his wife, Sue Irons; his sister and brother-in-law, Patricia and Lee Perkal of Los Angeles, CA; his son, William E. Irons, III and his wife, Cory of Coeur d'Alene, ID; his daughter, Lauren Elizabeth Irons of Phoenix, AZ; two grandsons, William E. Irons, IV of Coeur d'Alene, ID and Chase William Irons of San Jose, CA; and one great grandchild to be born in May. Bill served as a KC-135 navigator and F-4 weapons system officer in the USAF for 20 years. He was a decorated Vietnam veteran with one Air Medal, and three Commendations. He retired as a Major in 1988. Bill continued his duty to his country in Civil Service at Hill Air Force Base, Utah as the Flight Safety Officer and, later, as a Flight Manual Manager until retiring again in 2008. He spent his retirement years enjoying traveling with Sue and, his other passion, playing golf. He was proud of his hole-in-one at Hubbard Golf Course in 1992. He also loved skiing, traveling, and all things sports related. He was a loving husband, great companion, and friend who will be deeply missed by his many friends and coworkers at Hill AFB, his golfing buddies at Sun River in St. George, and his friends in the Corvette Club of Utah. A graveside service will be held Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles, CA. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in his name to: Hill Aerospace Museum, 7961 Wardleigh Rd, Hill AFB, UT 84056-5842. Condolences may be posted at www.Legacy.com. A memorial service will be held Sunday, February 13, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. at the Hill AFB Chapel. Contact Bob Anderson (RBA1524@aol.com) by Monday for access to Hill AFB.