LT COLONEL WILLIAM R HUNTSINGER – CLASS OF 1955
LT COLONEL WILLIAM R HUNTSINGER – CLASS OF 1955
Huntsinger, William R LTC (Ret) of Green Valley, Arizona
1933 – 2016
Lt. Col (Ret.) William Richard Huntsinger died July 2, 2016 in Green Valley, Arizona. His wife Josephine Lee Haines Huntsinger, to whom he was married in 1955, was his partner and cohort in the adventurous life they had in the
military and beyond.
He was born on June 13, 1933 in Elwood, Indiana, and graduated from Elwood's Wendell L. Willkie High School in 1951 after playing basketball and football for the school's winning teams. In 1955 he earned his bachelor of science degree from Western Michigan University and received his ROTC Army commission. Following graduation
he taught high school in Farwell, Michigan for one year.
His active duty Army career began at Fort Lee, Virginia in 1956. Postings included Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC; Kagnew Station, Asmara, Eritrea; Fort Myer, Virginia; Fort Belvoir, Virginia; Camp Howze, Korea; and the Pentagon, Arlington, Virginia. In 1968 the Army sent him to Camp Alpha, Vietnam near Tan Son
Hhut Air Base, where he oversaw an important upgrade and renovation to the facility.
After he returned to the U.S., he was stationed in St. Louis at RCPAC. In 1971-72 he attended Command and
General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.
In 1972, along with his family, he moved to Obourg, Belgium where he worked under SACEUR's Andrew Goodpaster and Alexander Haig at Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). In 1976, he was stationed again in St. Louis until he retired from active duty. He worked at Mercantile Bank in downtown St. Louis
from 1984 to 1990.
In 1999, he and Josephine moved to Green Valley, Arizona where he was a member and volunteer with Valley
Presbyterian Church.
He never met a sport he didn't love: basketball, football, bowling, golf and baseball. When he wasn't playing he was watching. He was an extremely skilled woodworker and leaves a legacy of beautifully handcrafted furniture; thanks to him his three daughters know their way around a hardware store and how to use tools.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his daughters Darcy Falk (Michael) of Flagstaff, Arizona, Dana Cortwright (Spencer) of Valparaiso, Indiana, and Kristin Huntsinger of Creve Coeur, Missouri; grandchildren Keenan and David Falk, Taylor Sinason, Alexander Cortwright, Isaac Sinason and Brayden Cortwright; his siblings, David and wife Judy, Daniel and wife Vera, Edward and wife Nina, Marena Lane, and Dennis and wife Cathy, and in-laws, Nina Coe and husband William, Maxine Haines, Pat Holt and husband Forrest, Larry Gunn and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his daughter Jill; siblings King, Jeannette and Joan; parents William Lewis Huntsinger and Ruth Jeannette King Huntsinger; stepmother Eva Lane Huntsinger; and brother-in-law Wallace Haines.