Lt. William A. Willey, retired state trooper
Lt. William A. Willey, 79, of Georgetown, passed away peacefully at home Saturday, Jan. 21, 2017, and went to his heavenly home to be with his Lord and Savior.
Bill was born in Cambridge, Md., son of the late Howard E. and Elizabeth (Spear) Willey.
Mr. Willey served as an Airman Second Class and aviation mechanic with the U.S. Air Force from 1955-59 and received an honorable discharge from the reserves in 1963. In 1962, he enlisted as a trooper and was one of the original five members of the Delaware State Police Aviation Section where he served until 1982, and retired as Aviation Section commander with the rank of lieutenant. After retirement from Delaware State Police he was a corporate pilot for the DuPont Corporation until 1995. Bill also received a bachelor of science in business administration from Wilmington College.
Both God and his family were very important to him. He attended Crossroad Community Church. His family looked forward to their yearly trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C., the memories made and special time spent there. Bill was an avid golfer and enjoyed working on and repairing things both in the house and outside.
He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years: Dolores (Toomey) Willey; a daughter, Andrea Finkbiner and husband Tim; two grandchildren, Nicole Elizabeth Chafin and Dylan Andrew Finkbiner; four siblings, James Willey, Elois Payne, Rose Whayland and Jonathan Willey; and several nieces and nephews.
A funeral service will be held Friday, Jan. 27, at 12:30 p.m., in the chapel of Short Funeral Services, 609 E. Market St., Georgetown, with visitation after 11 a.m. Burial will be in the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Millsboro.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory can be made to Crossroad Community Church, 20684 State Forest Road, Georgetown, DE 19947, or Delaware State Police Museum, P.O. Box 430, Dover, DE 19903.
