World War II veteran William Williams of Riverview celebrates his 101st birthday at Riverview’s Atria Kinghaven.
By SUE SUCHYTA
Sunday Times Newspapers
RIVERVIEW – World War II Air Force veteran William Williams, who celebrated his 101st birthday Aug. 19, reflected on his century of life from his apartment at Atria Kinghaven.
Williams, who attended Henry Ford Trade School, said he worked for the Ford Motor Company for 32 years, starting in 1946, as a body designer and draftsman, working on parts for the car.
He served in the U.S. Air Force during WWII as a radio operator for the Air Transport Command, transporting high-priority cargo like gasoline over the Himalayas to Chinese allies, which he said this was necessary because the Burma Road was cut off by the Japanese, so everything had to be flown over the mountains.
Williams said they flew thousands of hours, and were based out of Burma mostly, though he was based out of Calcutta, India for about a month.
He married his late wife Elizabeth on Aug. 2, 1947 in Detroit. They had three children and five grandchildren. He and his wife raised their family in Allen Park.
What advice would he give to others to reach the century mark?
“Just keep plugging along every day,” Williams said. “You have about 50 percent bad days and 50 percent good days.”
He said he enjoyed playing golf and bowling, and he said he liked boating and camping with his family.
Williams said they enjoyed spending time at a cottage up near Canadian Lakes, a community in Mecosta County, Michigan, which is north of Grand Rapids.
He said he would describe himself as an optimistic person.
Williams said he attended Allen Park Presbyterian Church when he lived in Allen Park.
He said he used to like to watch his kids compete in swimming at Allen Park High School.
Williams said he would take his family skiing in the winter as well.
He said he likes to listen to the big band music that was popular in the 1940s, especially Glenn Miller, and he enjoys listening big band music on YouTube.
“My wife and I did a lot of dancing,” Williams said. “We’d go out and do ballroom dancing and square dancing and all kinds of stuff.”
He said he and his late wife were compatible.
“She would go along with what I wanted to do, and I’d go along with what she wanted to do most of the time,” Williams said.