William, known as Bill to some and as Uncle Bill to others, was born Aug. 1, 1925. After a short illness, he passed on Sept. 30, peacefully, while at home on Huntingridge Road in Chapel Hill. He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Trudy Riley Kearney, and his nephews and nieces.
Bill Kearney’s outgoing nature brought him many friends. Throughout his life, he never met a stranger.
Bill served in the Air Corp and was a WW II veteran. During his service to our country, Bill was a member of the 8th Air Force and served as a radio operator on the B-17 bomber. He also was in the National Guard. He worked in avionics at Butner and at Raleigh-Durham Airport, retiring from the military with over 20 years of service.
After his service, Bill was hired by IBM when they opened their offices in Research Triangle Park. He worked in plant engineering and in facilities engineering, combining a service record spanning more than 20 years, with many accolades.
Music was always one of Bill’s passions. In his hometown of Henderson, he sang in the Methodist Church Choir, played a base horn in the high school band and received a scholarship to the University of North Carolina for two summers, when Earl Slocum was the music professor. Bill also shared his musical talents throughout the Triangle, playing with the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Village Band.
Bill was very active in service through his church. He was affiliated with United Methodist Church in Henderson and McMannen United Methodist Church, Parkwood United Methodist Church and University United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill, to name just a few.
Bill Kearney will be dearly missed by his wife and many friends and family members.