William Carroll Wakefield II, 77 years old, passed away early in the morning of April 3rd, 2019.

Bill is survived by his wife of 49 years, Carol, and their two sons, Bill (wife Rene, grandsons Landon & Austin) and Chris (wife Jenny). Born and raised in Everett, PA, Bill and his brother George helped support their parents’ business, Bill’s Place, on Route 30 in Breezewood, PA. The brothers’ work ethic was established at an early age as they pumped gas at age 6 to help support Bill’s Place.

Bill joined the military while studying Civil Engineering and participating in ROTC at Penn State. After graduating, Bill began a career in the Army Corps of Engineers, became an airborne Ranger and served two tours in Vietnam. He earned numerous awards in his military career for exemplary service. Bill continued his military career serving in the Army Reserves while he worked at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. In his career, he helped implement renewable energy and hydroelectric projects in the northwest US.

While helping to raise his two sons, Bill was the soccer and basketball coach for dozens of neighborhood kids on his beloved Warriors teams. Bill was an avid golfer and traveler. He played golf frequently and was skilled enough to achieve 5 holes-in-one in his career, including one in Egypt. He visited 107 countries on all 7 continents, and even played golf in Antarctica! Bill and Carol loved to travel around the world and share their exploits with friends in the community.

A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, April 9th at 10am at St. Brendan’s Catholic Church. A burial at Arlington National Cemetery will take place later this year. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Grissettown-Longwood Fire & Rescue, 758 Longwood Road, Ocean Isle Beach, NC 28469 or Brunswick County EMS, 3325 Old Ocean Highway, Building C, Bolivia, NC 28433.