Wilton "Bill" Howard Crane's Obituary
Wilton Howard Crane "Bill"
Lt. Colonel Wilton H. "Bill" Crane passed away on July 27, 2012. Bill was born in Seattle, Washington in 1923. He grew up in the town of Castle Rock, Washington where he worked on the family dairy farm. As a boy he read the adventure stories of Phineas Pinkham in "Flying Aces" magazine and knew that he would become a pilot. Upon graduating from Castle Rock High School in 1942, Bill enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps. After basic training and a brief stint at Central Washington University, he went on to Aviation Cadet Training and was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant on March 12, 1944. After a few more stops for training, he was issued a B-17, assigned a crew and was off to England as part of the "Mighty 8th Air Force". Bill was stationed at Bury St. Edmunds with the 410th Heavy Bombardment Squadron for the duration of the war and completed the requisite and staggering 35 bombing missions between 1944 and 1945. The dashing young pilot returned home without a mark on him except for a rather comical handlebar mustache which his wife quickly made him shave off. A short time after WWII, Bill realized how much he missed flying and decided to make the Air Force his career. He went from reserve to active duty and went on to see action in Korea and Vietnam. During the Korean War he flew C-118 Liftmasters for Military Air Transport Service (MATS) from his base in Tachikawa, Japan and provided troops and supplies to the war zone. During his tour in Vietnam he was a Rescue Crew Commander stationed at Tuy Hoa where he flew the C-130 E "Hercules" and the HC-130 P "Combat King" for coordinating search and rescue operations and in-flight refueling of "Jolly Greens". Bill retired from the Air Force in 1970 having attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. The military had afforded him the opportunity to see much of the world and have a few adventures, including being part of a select group to witness an atomic bomb test on an atoll in the south pacific. He also had a number of awards and commendations bestowed upon him for his service. Among those were awards for good conduct and expert marksmanship but the two he was most proud of were The Distinguished Flying Cross and the Bronze Star. His days of retirement were filled with work and hobbies. Bill was always an avid sportsman who enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was an autodidact who spent hours reading and studying whatever caught his fancy. His genuine passion for knowledge coupled with innate talent allowed him to succeed at pretty much anything he set his mind to. Of particular interest to him were the tradecrafts of gunsmithing, blacksmithing, metal casting, machining and mechanics. He was also a backyard astronomer, a gifted artist, photographer, and a talented wood carver. He built cars, boats and Civil War era replica cannons and mortars which he enjoyed shooting during family gatherings. Bill was perhaps best known for his almost encyclopedic knowledge of firearms. He made and refurbished rifles and was also a crack shot. He was a life member, past president and black powder chairman of the Tacoma Rifle and Revolver Club. He traveled to many shooting matches in the Western U.S. and Canada and in 1985 was part of a rifle team representing the U.S. in an international single-shot competition in Bisley, England. They came in first place. Throughout Bill's life he frequently returned to the family farm by the river where he grew up. There he raised cattle, farmed, fished, and adopted several stray animals. He had a love of nature and a particular fondness for dogs and birds but thought cats were okay too. We will miss your wisdom, wry sense of humor, your "pay attention, I'm only going to say this once" lessons, your "well, you know" stories and observations. We will miss you yelling at the Mariners and the "Chickenhawks" through the t.v. when they made bad plays. We will miss your sukiyaki, barbecued salmon, tea-time and cocktails, tractor rides, your "most sincere pumpkin patch", "Calvinball", stargazing, drifting the river, "That's where the fish are", zucchini target practice, high-fives, and kissing the top of your little crew-cut head. We love you. "Fly low and slow". Bill was preceded in death by his father David Crane, his mother Margaret Crane and his brother Jim Crane as well as three beloved dogs: Perky, Diggitty and Angus. He is survived by his wife Norma H. Crane, daughters Marsha L. Crane and Judith A. Stratton, many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. At Bill's request, there will be no service and his ashes will be spread at the family farm.
Arrangements by Mountain View Funeral Home.
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