Captain Willard “Bill” Abraham, 96, of Gainesville, Georgia passed away November 24, 2015. A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM, Saturday, December 5 at Trinity Presbyterian Church, 2023 Memorial Park Rd. Gainesville, Georgia. An informal reception will be held at the church for all attending.
Survivors include his wife, Mary Ann, son James Abraham and wife Susan, daughter-in-law Lyn Abraham, grandsons Sean Abraham and wife Charity, Jason Abraham, as well as sisters Donna Nelson, Raytown, Missouri, Alice Daniels, Kansas City, Missouri, and several nieces and nephews.
Bill was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth, and son Billy, sisters Ila McNair, Leona Martin, Margaret Jamieson, and Katherine Canon, and brothers Ralph Abraham and Jim Abraham.
Bill was a devoted husband to his wife Mary Ann for twenty years. He was committed to his church, serving on many committees. Bill’s other passion was playing poker with the Tuesday night group and playing Gin Rummy most evenings with his friend, Sally Britt, who offered much loving support in the past months. A special thanks to Melinda Copeland and Lola Blair for all the food. He enjoyed Friday morning breakfasts with the retired Eastern Air Lines pilots at Loretta’s. He will be missed by all who knew him as a man of integrity, personal strength, humility, and honesty.
Bill’s parents, James and Maude Abraham, moved from Nebraska to Siloam Springs, Arkansas in 1916. Bill was born December 31, 1918. They lived on a small farm and he learned to plow with a team of horses and a walking plow when he was eight years old. He soon was earning a little money plowing gardens for the town people, usually getting twenty cents per hour for himself, two horses, and plow. He played high school football and after graduation he received a full football scholarship to the University of Arkansas.
Staying only one year, he transferred to North East Louisiana, which is now LSU Monroe. LSU Monroe received a government grant to start a flying school which was the reason for transferring from the University of Arkansas to LSU Monroe. As the government was preparing for World War II, they wanted pilots trained, so students were asked to volunteer for the training. The training was in Piper Cub aircraft. After three hours of instructions, he soloed and after getting his required flight time, he obtained his license to fly a Piper Cub. He then continued in the program to get his commercial pilot license. He did not have his instrument pilot license but applied to Easter Airlines for a job as a pilot, was accepted, and Eastern gave him the training for the instrument license in a DC-3. Eastern sent him to New York as a copilot on the DC-3. After completing the flight training, he was assigned to fly the line as copilot for two and a half years and then passed his captain rating. He was Council Chairman of the Board of Adjustments. After serving two eighteen month terms on the System board, he went on the pilots negotiating committee and helped negotiate the next contract. Bill retied from Eastern Air Lines on December 29, 1978 after 36 years of service. He flew the L-1011 on his last flight, flight 98 from Miami-San Juan-Atlanta.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Trinity Presbyterian Church, 2023 Memorial Park Rd., Gainesville, Georgia 30501.
Online condolences may be made at wardsfh.com Ward’s Funeral Home, 758 Main Street SW, Gainesville, Georgia in charge of arrangements.
