William Niles Utterback

Cpt. William Niles Utterback Ret. was born July 8, 1938 died February 7, 2023 in Puyallup WA. Willie (or Bill) was born in San Fransico to Orval and May Utterback. He was the first of seven children. As a young boy his family moved to Washington state where he would officially reside the rest of his life.

He joined the Air Force right out of high school and became a fighter pilot. He flew 222 combat missions during the Vietnam war. Then he joined Air America until they were disbanded, after which he flew commercial including America West Airlines. He also joined the Army National Guard to fill in his military time. He loved to fly!

His flying took Willie all around the world, but he discovered an affinity for Thailand with the first visit to the country. He married Tasanee in 1968 and they had two daughters, Susan and Janet. They were married for almost forty years before her passing. Years later he married Wanee who also predeceased him.

Willie had unmatched zest for life, he loved to tell stories and he had so many! He had faced death many times and survived – during the Vietnam war and after. His illnesses included cancer five years ago, then recently the lymphoma returned and Willie died of a respiratory infection, complicated by cancer.

Willie was a dependable, responsible father, husband, brother and friend - often the person one would go to for questions about almost anything. He is loved and missed by his surviving family and friends including daughters Susan and Janet, step-daughter Chompoo, grandson Ari, siblings Sharlene, Jimmy (Cynthia) and Susie and countless nieces and nephews.

Graveside interment will be at 10:30 Thursday March 2, 2023 with full military honors at the National Cemetery in Kent WA.

The Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, March 26, 2023 from 1:00pm to 5:00pm at the VFW Hall located at 3510 McKinley Ave, Tacoma, WA.