Martin Willis

Martin Willis, 94 of Fairfield, CA, died July 26, 2011, with his family by his side.

Martin was born October 12, 1916, as a twin, in elk Garden, WV and was the 8th of eight children born to Joseph and Mary Willis. After graduating from Kitzmiller School, he moved to New York and later took a position at Douglas Aircraft when World War II broke out.

Martin served in the US Army Air Corp and followed into the United States Air Force, as a flight engineer, when it became independent of the Army. His military career spanned several decades through World War II, Korea and the Vietnam conflicts. Many of Martin's service months were spent deployed overseas and he was proud to have served and participated in the "Berlin Airlift."

Martin retired in Fairfield, CA, near Travis Air Force Base and lived there for over 50 years. He worked for many years at Solano Community College holding various positions of increasing responsibility until his "Second Retirement" in 1979.

Martin is survived by sons, Jim, Joe and Bob Willis; 4 grandchildren, Nick, Joe, Sarah and Emma Willis; 1 great grandchild, Katelyn Willis, as well as a large extended family.

Martin outlived his siblings and two wives, Elsie and Shigeko.

A memorial service, which is open to the public, will be held Saturday, September 24, 2011 at 1 pm at the Nethken Hill Cemetery, Elk Garden, WV.

Service Information