William C. DELORME

William C. "Bill" DeLorme Jr., a loving husband, father and grandfather, passed away Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2005. By his side throughout his life and at his death was his beloved wife and companion of 37 years, Sara "Sandy" DeLorme. Funeral: 2 p.m. Tuesday at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, 10th and Lamar, downtown Fort Worth. Entombment: Greenwood Mausoleum. Visitation: 4 to 6 p.m. Monday at Greenwood Funeral Home.Pallbearers will be Charles Rush, M.D., Ken Wernicke, Ramon Giles, Lamonte Tucker, Monty Tucker, Bill Jackson, Royal Koch and John Horn.The only child of William Courtenay DeLorme Sr. and Beatrice Passailague DeLorme, Bill was born Dec. 28, 1920, in Charleston, S.C. From an early age his interests were aeronautics and woodworking, and he became skillfully proficient in both fields.Bill graduated from Curtis Wright Aeronautical Institute, an affiliate of the University of Southern California, where he studied aeronautical engineering.In 1941, he began working at Consolidated Vultee Aircraft (later known as General Dynamics, now Lockheed Martin) in Nashville, Tenn., later transferring to the Fort Worth division of Consolidated, where he worked as an aeronautical engineer. In the early 1950s, Bill was named director of the Nuclear Program at Consolidated. He later joined the administration team in Program Planning. Before leaving General Dynamics, he worked on special projects relating to the F-111 program.In 1973, hoping to return to engineering design, Bill accepted an offer from Bell Helicopter, but because of his prior experience and talent he was immediately placed in program planning, where Bell executives knew he would be a valuable asset to the company. While at Bell, Bill also directed and organized procedures and documentation that made interactive the thousands of drawings that comprised the design of the V-22 tilt-rotor aircraft. Bill retired from Bell Helicopter in 1991. After "retiring," Bill worked as an engineering consultant on several projects, including the development of a drone aircraft for the United States military.In the 1970s, Bill served as chairman of the Fort Worth Science Fair and also was chosen to serve as General Dynamics' representative to the United Way campaign. A skilled woodworker and craftsman, Bill made many new friends and found great satisfaction through membership in the North Texas Woodturners' Association. As a member, Bill was selected to head the 1999 collaborative project entitled "Turn of the Century Y2K Treadle Lathe." Bill and his fellow Woodturners ultimately won "Best of Show" at the American Association of Woodturners Symposium in Tacoma, Wash., in 1999.A member of St. Andrews Episcopal Church for over 50 years, Bill was an active choir member and served on various committees at the church. Bill was an avid sailor and racing skipper at the Fort Worth Boat Club, where he was a member for over 50 years. Other memberships included the Fort Worth Petroleum Club, the Carousel Dance Club and Arlington Heights Masonic Lodge 1184.When Bill and Sandy married on May 1, 1968, they each brought children into the marriage. Survivors: In addition to his wife, Sandy, Bill is survived by his children, W. Courtenay DeLorme III and wife, Julia of Fort Worth, John Theodore DeLorme and wife, Jan of Longview, Kathryne Claire DeLorme and husband, David Aronovici of Eureka, Calif., Charles Matthew DeLorme and wife, Susan of Bluff, Utah and Philip Riley and wife, Laura of Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; grandchildren, Melissa Miller-Trammell of Joshua, Robert DeLorme and John DeLorme, both of Bedford, Shelby McGrath and Meredith DeLorme, both of Fort Worth, Courtenay E. DeLorme, John "Buck" DeLorme, Kate DeLorme and Charlie DeLorme, all of Longview, Autumn, Sarah, Madeline DeLorme, Erin, Heather, Jennifer and Ivy DeLorme, all of Bluff, Utah, Joshua Sandefer Riley of Pompano Beach, Fla. and Mark Filipek of Dallas; and 17 great-grandchildren. Published in the Star-Telegram on 11/27/2005.