William L. Beers

Bill was born on March 2, 1920, to Floyd and Ruby Beers in Homestead, Michigan. He spent his formative years on the family farm in the little Village of Marilla, located between Mesick and Kaleva, Michigan. In 1941, he married the love of his life Girlene Warstler of Albion, Michigan. They celebrated their 71st wedding anniversary a few months before Girlene passed away in 2012.

Bill joined the Army-Air Corps in 1942 and began B17 pilot training in March 1943. For the next two years, he flew missions stateside to perfect bombing attacks on various simulated targets off the Florida east coast. What was learned in these missions was eventually used in the European Theater, most notably the Normandy Invasion. He was part of the Pine Castle Group that practiced patterns of formation flying, which would be adopted by commanders in the war theaters of operation.

After the war, Bill attended Albion College and then graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He worked briefly for Corning Glass Works in Albion before being recalled into the Korean Conflict in 1951. He received B29 pilot training at Randolph and Forbes AFB before reporting to Yakota Air Base, Japan. From there he flew night bombing missions over North Korea, where he experienced God’s divine protection on numerous occasions. On one of his last missions, he was given the one assignment that every crew had to do during their tour of duty and that was “dropping the mail” (cannisters of leaflets to the North Korean people). What was considered a safe mission turned out to be the most dangerous and life threatening of all his missions over North Korea. This lone flight uncovered an unknown ambush site and the first use of search lights by the North Koreans. Bill’s plane became the target from both the ground and air. Despite damage to the plane’s fuselage, Bill and his crew returned to base, unharmed. In his memoir, he wrote, “I have occasional nightmares, reliving the moment when viewing the volley of machine gun fire passing by within 15 feet above the cabin windows during the pitch black of a North Korean night.” He added, “I do, to this day, give the Lord full credit for bringing us home from that mission.” He and his crew became lifelong friends.

Following his tour of duty, Bill returned to his job with Corning Glass Works. In 1968, he moved from the Albion plant to the main headquarters in Corning, New York, where he was involved in developing production processes and equipment required for production of specialized glass products. He was also involved with overseeing projects at electronic products manufacturing plants in Wilmington, North Carolina, Kennabunkport, Maine, Raleigh, North Carolina and Bradford, Pennsylvania. He received special recognition by the Corning Glass Works Patent Office for his invention of the Magnetic Torque Universal Coupling. Bill retired in 1984 and moved to Marquette in 1986.

Bill was a man of many talents and interests. He loved flying and was a member of a flying club in New York. After moving to Marquette, he built model airplanes and enjoyed his time as a member and past president of the Sands Model Airplane Club. Besides building three homes, he loved camping, fishing, hunting, photography, woodworking and acquiring the latest in electronic gadgets. He must have had VIP parking at Best Buy. Bill was a devoted husband and father and had a special place in his heart for his five great-grandsons. Church was a big part of his life from childhood and he was still able to attend services at Calvary Baptist Church in Negaunee up to his 100th birthday. He cared for his bedridden wife for the last four years of her life. In 2015, at age 95, he completed his memoir, which has become a treasured family heirloom.

Bill was preceded in death by his wife Girlene and his sister Shirley Lowery. He is survived by his daughter Judy (Tom) Browne, grandsons William (Lori) Browne of Lake Orion and Daniel (Lisa) Browne of Dafter, great-grandsons Bradley, Austin, Ian, Tyler and Colton, and niece Dianne Vegter and nephew Douglas Lowery.

The family wishes to thank the Lake Superior Hospice Staff for their loving support and aid during Bill’s final days and also Dr. Thomas Huffman and staff for being a special part of Bill’s life for many years.

Interment will be at Park Cemetery with Fassbender Swanson Hanson handling the arrangements. A graveside service is being planned for the spring.

Condolences may be expressed online at fassbenderswansonhansen.com