Bill Wetherbee, 60, died Feb. 12, 2008, at home after a four-month battle with leukemia. He was living in Texas at the time.

Bill was born in Wellsboro, Penn., on Feb. 20, 1947. After graduating from high school he joined the U.S. Navy. Bill served his country as a front line corpsman in Vietnam and as a survival instructor. He was in Oak Harbor at the same time his wife-to-be, Nancy, was visiting her sister Gay Fakkema. Because of their love for this area they moved here after they were married.

Bill is survived by his wife Nancy; daughter Dana; sons Jeremy and Justin; stepdaughter Valerie Armstrong; and stepsons David Covert, Donald Covert and John Covert.

A funeral was held Feb. 19 at Kaiserhof Church in Tomball, Texas, and a memorial is planned at the Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent where his ashes will be interred.