Bill Irey

Bill Irey, 89, Duncan, OK Graveside Service at the Hastings Cemetery, Hastings, OK, on Saturday, September 26 at 2:00 p.m., under the direction of Hart-Wyatt Funeral Home in Temple. Bill Irey was born March 14, 1926 to Harry E. "Pat" and Clara (Bracken) Irey in Grandfield, Oklahoma and died Wednesday, September 23, 2015 at the Veterans' Hospital in Oklahoma City. After living in northeast Arkansas for a couple of years during the depression, the family moved to Temple, Oklahoma when Bill was still a young boy. In 1943, he enlisted in the Navy at the age of seventeen. He was a "belly gunner" and flew reconnaissance missions between islands all over the Pacific. During his free time on the islands, he picked up seashells and made Nadine a necklace. He was discharged in 1947 and returned to Temple where he married Nadine Adkison on April 25, 1947. He worked for Trissler and Bizzel as a mechanic for several years, then at Shepard Air Force base for a while, before being hired at Halliburton in Duncan. He and his family moved to Duncan and were then transferred to Farmington, New Mexico for two years. After returning to Duncan, Bill continued to work for Halliburton until his retirement. After retirement, he got interested in metal sculpture and then in scroll sawing. He had a booth at the Duncan craft shows and gave away lots of plaques, toys and Christmas decorations to friends and family. He also enjoyed gardening and supplied friends and neighbors with squash, strawberries and okra. Bill was proud to have donated over 7 gallons of blood through the years. Another of his favorite activities was going to the military reunions of his flight crew. He and Nadine went to Las Vegas, Reno, New Orleans, and St. Louis, Mo among others. The last reunion was to have been in New York and was cancelled due to the 9-11 tragedy. He enjoyed visiting with his Navy buddies and finding out some things that he didn't know because the radio in his belly gunner position didn't work a lot of the time. Bill is survived by his wife of 68 years, Nadine, and a daughter, Judy Irey, both of Duncan. He has two sisters, Patricia Satepahtaw of Gracemont, OK and Kay Davis of Lansing, Michigan and a number of nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, H. E. and Clara Irey; one brother, Jack M. Irey; one niece, Carol Satepahtaw; and his in-laws, I. O. "Stog" and Nettie Adkison. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Hastings Cemetery Association, P. O. Box 68, Hastings, OK 73548, in Bill's memory.