William B. Sheehan's Obituary
WILLIAM B. SHEEHAN SEPTEMBER 30, 1922 to OCTOBER 7, 2016William B. Sheehan, better known to his friends and family as Bill Sheehan, passed away on November 7, 2016 at the age of 94. He will be laid to rest on October 14, 2016. He is to be buried side by side with his high school sweetheart and beloved wife of 58 years, Helen (known as Patty) Sheehan at the Chapel of the Chimes Memorial Park, located at 32992 Mission Boulevard, Hayward, California 94544. Patty preceded her dearly loved husband Bill in death in 2001.The gravesite funeral services will be held on Friday October 14, 2016 at 3:00, and the service will be officiated by Pastor Lee Rittenbough. The Memorial service will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, October 29, 2016 at Bethany Lutheran Church, 621 S. Orchard Avenue, Vacaville, California 95688. The memorial will be officiated by Pastor Gregory Stringer followed by a luncheon.Bill was born and raised in Oakland, California and graduated from Castlemont High School in Oakland. He enlisted in The United States Navy in 1942 and served twenty-three years in service to his country and retired in 1966 as a Chief Petty Officer. He began his military service with Patrol Bombing Squadron Sixteen in the Pacific Theaters during World War II as a Combat Air crewman, Flight Engineer and Aerial Gunner. He received numerous citations and awards as he had participated in the Battles of Mariana Islands and the liberation of the Philippine Islands. After WWII he entered the active Naval Reserve and served during the Cold War until his retirement in 1966. After WWII, he and his family moved to Castro Valley where they lived for forty-seven years before moving to Vacaville, California.Bill and Patty Sheehan had two sons. James Michael Sheehan and Timothy William Sheehan. James Michael passed away on October 24, 2005. He was married to a lovely and devout Christian woman, Carrie Cates Sheehan for twenty-seven years. Bill’s younger brother Colonel Richard J. Sheehan, who proceeded him in death in 1999. Richard was an honored and distinguished United States Airforce Officer and is interned in the National Cemetery in Washington, DC. He is also survived by many beloved nieces and nephews.and his wife Patty Sheehan were devoted to their church and spreading the word of God. He spent many years in volunteer work at Faith Lutheran Church in Castro Valley, California. When he relocated to Vacaville, California, he taught Sunday School and occasionally wrote articles for the church newsletter. He volunteered at the Bethany Lutheran School and was loved by students and staff and fondly called Mr. Bill.Friends and family are invited to attend the Graveside Service at Chapel of the Chimes Memorial Park in Hayward this Friday, October 14, 2016 at 3:00 pm. Or the Memorial Service on October 29, 2016 at 11:00 am at Bethany Lutheran Church in Vacaville, California.Contributions can be made to Bethany Lutheran Church Memorial Fund.William Boston Sheehan, was born on September 30, 1922, to the parents of William Raymond Sheehan and Lola Boston Sheehan. His father died when he was just one and half. He and his only brother Richard Sheehan were raised in a Christian home by their mother Lola and grandparents Richard and Anne Boston.Born in East Oakland, California, where he grew up and attended and graduated from Castlemont High School in 1941. In high school he met, courted and later married his high school sweetheart Helen (always called Patty as she was born on Saint Patrick’s Day) Pearl Frazier. Bill and Patty married May 17, 1943 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.After graduating from high school, he worked for PG & E and then ventured into shipbuilding and worked at the Kaiser Ship Building Company, in Richmond, California before enlisting in the United States Navy. He attended basic training in Oklahoma and then served during World War II in the Central Pacific Theater of Naval Operations and fought in the Battle of the Marians and the Leyte Gulf. He was a Flight Engineer and an Aerial Gunner with the patrol Bombing Squadron 16, living with his squadron on a Seaplane. Serving in World War II in the Philippine Sea had an abundant impact on Bill’s life and his cherished comrades and friends were a respected part of his life, as he continued contact with them throughout the end of all of their lives.Bill, by the grace and gift of God was born into a strong Christian family. He believed in God and Jesus Christ as his savior. His mother was well rooted in the Christian Science Religion. Bill followed the Christian Science teachings until early manhood, when he began to attend the Methodist Church and later found his true theological calling and roots in the teaching of Martin Luther. He joined the Faith Lutheran Church in Castro Valley, California. Where he devoted many years of service and volunteer work to the church. He did this always with a ready smile and a true love and energy of his fellow Christians.Bill had developed a true love of the US Navy and after the war, he continued to serve and participate in the Naval Reserve and Fly as a flight Engineer until his Military Retirement in 1966. After the Navy, he continued his career working for the Federal Government and worked for the Department of Defense Headquarters in San Francisco until he again retired in 1982. He was a Quality Assurance Specialist on the staff of the Chief of Quality Assurance.The United States Navy and his years of flying the big Patrol Bombers of his day, was and always has been one of his greatest passions and enjoyments. He often made reference to himself as a ‘Big Boat Sailor’ who flew the old ‘Martin Seaplanes’, which like very old dinosaurs, are now extinct. During his early Navy flight experience Bill began with flying those ‘Big Flying Boats’ and ended many years later flying the Lockheed P2V’s, a land based aircraft. He was awarded many military commendations and clocked many flight hours throughout his Naval career.In his personal life, Bill and his wife Patty, were blessed with two sons, James Michael Sheehan and Timothy William Sheehan. Both of his sons were raised in the grace of a Christian home and attended Faith Lutheran Church in Castro Valley, California. Both sons remained faithful followers of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Michael married a wonderful Christian woman, Carrie and was married until his death October 24, 2005.During the years of raising his sons, a teenage young woman, Sharon, came to live with and became part of the family, giving Bill and Patty the joy of having a ‘daughter’ to love. She married and gave them a little boy to love as a grandson. With God’s blessing and grace, Bill and Patty experienced the joy of a wonderful family, and 58 years happily married.With life and military changes, in 1996 Bill and Patty moved to from their home in Castro Valley to Vacaville, California. Due to the closure of military bases throughout the Bay Area, this was necessary to be close to Travis Air Force Base, where his full commissary, hospital and other privileges were more easily available to the men and women who serve their country with the honor and commitment Bill had served.Moving was poignant for them, leaving the home they loved and parting with many long term and beloved friends. By his workmanship God had led them to a new home where they were welcomed and befriended just as they had been in Castro Valley. They found a new church home at Bethany Lutheran Church, where they were welcomed and received with so much love and caring from the Pastor, the staff and the members at Bethany. By God’s grace and his working sometimes in mysterious ways, He leads his faithful and just in new spiritual directions. Bill went on to teach Sunday School to many children sharing his love and benevolence of God, and he volunteered and helped with his big smile and Godly spirit at Bethany Lutheran School for many years.Bill’s younger brother Richard Sheehan, after a long battle with cancer, proceeded him in death in 1999. The two brothers remained close throughout their lives both choosing military careers. Richard was an Army Air Core Bomber Pilot during WWII. In 1945 Bill was honored to fly with his brother in a B-24 Bomber Aircraft. Later Richard flew with Bill in a Navy P2V Patrol Bomber while Bill was attached to a Navy Bombing Squadron. Both brothers shared a love of military flying and with many family visits throughout the years, flying was always a topic of their conversations.Bill’s first and true love, was his wife Patty (born Helen Pearl Frazier on Saint Patrick’s Day). In her later years Patty was ill with Alzheimer’s disease for many years. It was a daily struggle for these two who had been in love since they were teenagers. Bill cared for Patty at home for many years, although when he could no longer provide the extensive daily care required, he sadly and reluctantly placed her in a facility for more intense care and treatment. Patty fell and broke her hip. Unable to walk she contracted pneumonia, and died quietly in her sleep on February 6, 2001. Bill spent the last days at her bedside and prayed for the ‘One and Only True Love’ of his life, Patty. Bill and Patty had celebrated 58 years in a loving, blessed and devoted marriage.Secondly he loved God and flying. He was a loving and devout father and brother throughout his life. He was devoted to his family and his friends. As a man of God, throughout his life he put God first. His faith and his church gave tremendous meaning and comfort to him.• In his youth he was a Boy Scout • He later became a Boy Scout Leader • He played Santa Claus at a Boy Scout Party • As a youth he worked before and after school to help his mother support the family • He played interclass High School Football • He coached a Little League team when Michael was a young player • He was both an Aircraft and Auto Mechanic • He was baptized in 1968 at the age of 45 • He participated in Church activities for many years • He built a large cabin in Angels Camp for he and his family • He was a tinkerer and did mechanical and electrical repair • He loved to grow a vegetable garden every year • He enjoyed fishing and Pheasant Hunting and Camping with his family annually • He retired form the United States Navy in 1966 at the rank of Chief Petty Officer (Aviation Chief Machinist Mate) • Throughout his retirement years he was fondly called Chief by close friends and family.
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