Bill had an illustrious career in the Air Force that began with cadet training in 1954. He received his wings the next year and was commissioned at Williams AF Base, AZ. He attained a BS in Aerospace Engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology at the University of Colorado and rose to the ranks of Lieutenant Colonel. Lt. Col. Mayberry completed F-100 combat crew training at Cannon AFB, NM and 0-1 (oh-one) training at Hurlburt AFB, Fla. Shortly after, he was hand-selected to join an elite group of pilots known as the Mistys.
Bill would go on to fly over 200 clandestine missions over North Vietnam as a Fast FAC (Forward Air Controller). Casualties were high as Fast FACs were first in to mark enemy targets for the next wave of jets tasked with taking them out. Statistically, Bill shouldn’t have made it back home. Fortunately, he did, retiring from the Air Force in 1978 beginning his civilian career at Boeing as a certification engineer for the FAA. Bill would remain close with the Mistys for the rest of his life.
Lt. Col. (Ret.) William Sheary Mayberry (Bill), 86, son of W.R. Mayberry passed away peacefully of natural causes on Sept 23, 2020.
He was born and raised in Wood River, IL. In 1978, he moved to Snohomish where he and his wife Mary lived for 42 years and raised their daughter Heather. Bill had an illustrious career in the Air Force that began with cadet training in 1954. He received his wings the next year and was commissioned at Williams AF Base, AZ. He attained a BS in Aerospace Engineering at the Air Force Institute of Technology at the University of Colorado and rose to the ranks of Lieutenant Colonel. Lt. Col.
Mayberry completed F-100 combat crew training at Cannon AFB, NM, and 0-1 (oh-one) training at Hurlburt AFB, Fla. Shortly after, he was hand-selected to join an elite group of pilots known as the Mistys. Bill would go on to fly over 200 clandestine missions over North Vietnam as a Fast FAC (Forward Air Controller). Casualties were high as Fast FACs were first in to mark enemy targets for the next wave of jets tasked with taking them out. Statistically, Bill shouldn’t have made it back home.
Fortunately, he did, retiring from the Air Force in 1978 beginning his civilian career at Boeing as a certification engineer for the FAA. Bill would remain close with the Mistys for the rest of his life, attending annual reunions throughout the U.S. Members were accomplished writers who were technically adept. They used their skills to author a series of both online and paper books about their time in the air. The book sales covered their reunion expenses over the years which typically included a nice hotel, steak dinners, and hosted bars. Mary would send Bill off with a bag of chocolate chip cookies to enjoy while driving his little red Honda Civic to a different venue each year.
Upon arrival, the Mistys would go straight up to the bar, slap each other on the backs, and launch into near-death war stories one-upping each other late into the night. Bill’s easy smile matched his demeanor. He was truly a loving and gentle family man.
He was proceeded in death by his son William Scott Mayberry in 1975, his parents, and his sister (Jean). Bill is survived by his devoted wife Mary of 57 years, his daughter Heather Black (Dean) and grandson Nate of West Seattle; Brother Jim Mayberry (Susan) of Lynnwood, WA, nieces, nephews, and many great-nieces and nephews. A small graveside service will be held at Grandview Cemetery in Anacortes, WA, on Oct. 3rd, 2020. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to; Kids with Food Allergies (KFA); https://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/ Holy Rosary School – West Seattle; https://holyrosaryws.org/ A memorial service will be held at a later date due to the pandemic restrictions.
