Stearns, William 1918-1989

STEARNS, YOUNGKIN, HODGSON, JOHNSON, FOTI, LYKKE, BAYLES

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 2/12/2006 at 18:05:14

William Stearns

MARCOS ISLAND, Fla. - Lt. Com. (ret.) William Stearns, 70, a former resident of Newton, died Wednesday, Feb. 22, at Marcos Island, Fla.

Lt. Com. Stearns, a 28-year veteran of the Navy, not only served on the USS Lexington during World War II but was the officer in charge of supply operations for the Navy's gigantic base in Antarctica.

While in Newton he was associated with the Parson Co., a subsidiary of the Koehring Co.

He had served as city treasurer-civil defense director of Kingstown, R.I., and more recently had been the Collier County, Fla., coordinator for the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and was president of the Marcos chapter of the AARP for the past three years.

Memorial services will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Newton Foursquare Church.

The Rev. Joseph Babcock, pastor of the church, will conduct services. Burial will be in the United Church of Marcos Memorial Gardens.

He is survived by his wife, Kay Hodgson Stearns of Marcos Island, formerly of Newton; a son, Lt. Ron, stationed with the Navy at San Ramon, Calif.; two daughters, Debbie of San Jose, Calif. and Nancy of Newton; and five grandchildren.

Also surviving are four sisters, Virginia Johnson of Onawa, Lilian Foti of Phoenix, Ariz., Diana Lynn Lykke of Omaha, Neb., and Lois Bayles of Newton, and two brothers, Donald T. of Arkansas and Lyle D. of Seattle, Wash.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Lilly Johnson, his father, the Rev. Arthur F. Stearns and two brothers, Arthur F., Jr. and Vernon H.

He was born July 29, 1918 in Tacoma, Wash., and was raised and educated in Omaha, Neb.

He attended Omaha Technical High School.

Newton Daily News, Newton, IA Feb 23, 1989.