William E. Harrell's Obituary
After a long illness, William “Bill” E. Harrell Sr. passed away on July 19th, 2025 with his loving wife at his side. Bill was born on June 8th, 1940 in Omaha Nebraska to William V. Harrell and Jackie “Boots” Harrell.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, his infant daughter, Debbie, and his stepson, Jarrod Nault. He is survived by his wife of 37 years, Janet, sister Jackie Kruse, daughter Tina Olson (Paul), son William Harrell Jr. (Susan), stepdaughter Tracy Perdue, all of Tacoma; stepson Jason Nault (Marcia) of Olympia; niece Kim Kruse and great-nephew Brayden Kruse, both of Tacoma; and 12 grand- and great-grandchildren.
After graduating from Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Bill joined the United States Navy where he was stationed aboard the USS Kearsarge out of San Diego and Long Beach, CA. Bill had a deep love of being a U.S. veteran. After being discharged from the Navy, he worked at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton as a crane operator. He retired after 30 years.
After retirement, Bill and Janet traveled to Washington D.C., as well as many areas in Washington, Oregon, California, and Nevada. They also loved going on cruises, having sailed to Australia, Alaska, the South Pacific, the Caribbean, and the Panama Canal.
A graveside service will be held honoring Bill at 1:30pm on Wednesday, August 6th, 2025 at Mountain View Cemetery at 4100 Steilacoom Blvd. SW, Lakewood, WA 98499.
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