William "Bill" Hubert Stancil

• Born: March 20, 1903 Kenly, Johnston, NC
• Died: Oct. 5, 1980 San Diego, CA
• Married: Dorothy Viola Wickham on March 16, 1934, in Holbrook, Navajo, AZ

William Hubert Stancil was born March 20, 1903, and died Oct. 5, 1980. He married Dorothy Viola Wickham on March 16, 1934.
Bill's children with Dorothy Wickham Stancil
Sue Donna Elde Stancil Eschenburg
Jerry Elde Stancil

William Hubert Stancil, born March 20, 1903, in Johnston County, North Carolina, was the fifth child of Josiah and Minnie Sasser Stancil. He was often called "Bill" and "Willie" by his father.

As a child, Bill attended school in the Niagara community, riding with Ethel, his oldest brother Leumos Waverly Stancil's wife, who was a teacher there. However, Bill disliked school and eventually left to farm with his father.

Seeking a different path, Bill and his younger brother, Herbert "Hub" Andrew Stancil, falsified their ages and enlisted in the Navy in Raleigh on December 2, 1922. At the time, Willie was 19 years old, measuring 5'8" and weighing 129 pounds, with blue eyes, dark brown hair, and a ruddy complexion. He was initially sent to the United States Naval Training Station (USNTS) Hampton Roads, Virginia, a facility that underwent several name changes over the years, including Naval Air Station Norfolk and Naval Training Center, Norfolk, Virginia.

By February 6, 1923, Bill achieved the rank of Seaman 2nd Class. On February 15, 1923, he was transferred to Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida. His naval record indicates a charge of "inattentive to duty" on March 27, 1923, resulting in four hours of extra duty. By November 27, 1925, his rank was Aviation Machinist Mate 2nd Class (AMM2/C). Bill faced health challenges during his service, being admitted to the Naval Hospital on November 27, 1925, for a disease "in line of duty," and again on June 21, 1926, for a contusion of the lumbar region (lower back), also "in line of duty." Despite these setbacks, he participated in flights, logging three flights for a total of 3 hours and 25 minutes by June 30, 1926, and five flights for 6 hours and 10 minutes by July 31, 1926. Bill was honorably discharged as an AMM2/C from NAS Pensacola, Florida, on December 1, 1926.

After his naval service, Bill moved in with his older brother Leumos and his family (wife Ethel, who was pregnant, and children Jimmy, Paul, and Harold) in Nashville, North Carolina, where Leumos worked in a sawmill producing cross-ties for the Atlantic Coast Railroad. Before leaving North Carolina, Willie joined the Kenly Masonic Lodge. Though his family initially believed he might marry a local girl from Princeton, that relationship eventually faded.

Bill's career in aviation continued on the civilian side. In October 1928, he began working for Chance Vought Corporation in Long Island City, New York. Chance Vought had made aviation history in 1922 with the first takeoff from the USS Langley, the first US aircraft carrier. Willie was involved in prototype testing and motor inspections for the company. On October 15, 1928, he wrote to the Bureau of Aeronautics, expressing interest in flight training. By 1929, Willie was working for Curtiss Vought and Pratt Whitney, a manufacturer in Hartford, Connecticut, that built an aircraft for Lt. James "Jimmy" Harold Doolittle's planned flight to South America. Pratt & Whitney was part of the larger United Aircraft & Transport Corporation, which included aviation giants like Boeing and Sikorsky. In May 1930, his first cousin, Ralph, in New Jersey, received Bill's address as 110 Franklin St., Hempstead, Long Island, New York, via George Ira. Bill eventually went on to work for Consolidated Airlines, flying Pan Am routes for many years. On August 14, 1930, Bill wrote to the US Navy Department inquiring about returning to his job and rating when an opening became available. On February 22, 1932, William H. Stancil, then 29, sailed from Balboa, Canal Zone, Panama, to New York, New York, aboard the SS Santa Clara.

In Winslow, Arizona, Bill found work with Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT). It was there that he met Dorothy Viola Wickham. Dorothy, born on March 5, 1912, in Richmond, California, was the oldest of seven children born to Arthur Elde and Lelah Pansy Wickham. Her father, Arthur, worked as a pipefitter for Santa Fe Railroad, moving his family to Winslow, Arizona, in 1921 when he became the Foreman at the Santa Fe Roundhouse.

While at Winslow High School, Dorothy was active with the glee club, pep squad and drama class plays including "Tulip Time" and "Pickles." She graduated from Winslow High School in 1931. Her siblings included Ralph (b. 1914), Vernis Eleanor (b. 1916), twins Glenn Elde and Wilma Margaret (b. 1920), Arthur Elde (b. 1924), and Louella. Dorothy worked at a movie theater that also featured a dance area, likely where she and Bill first met.

Bill and Dorothy married at Dorothy's home in Winslow, Arizona, on March 16, 1934. Bill continued his aviation career as TAT merged with Western Air Express to become Transcontinental and Western Air, Inc., or TWA.

Their family grew with the birth of their daughter, Sue Donna Elde Stancil, on December 29, 1934, in Holbrook, Arizona, followed by their son, Jerry Elde Stancil, on September 9, 1939, in San Diego, California.

The family eventually settled in the San Diego area, renting several homes before purchasing their house in Long Branch. During their early time in San Diego, Bill worked for the military. His brother Herbert, along with his wife Lil and daughters, lived in Fresno, and they often visited each other. Dorothy was a skilled seamstress, crafting most of Sue Donna's clothes. The family joined the Methodist Church, with Dorothy taking the children to services, though Bill seldom attended. Jerry recalled singing in a Christmas pageant while his mother watched from the congregation. Dorothy visited North Carolina at least once but found the experience unpleasant, as she felt some of Bill's family members were not kind to her. Bill's oldest brother, Leumos, recalled that Bill visited Chattanooga in 1941, and his sisters Leafy and Mozelle also visited him there. Bill was also a member of the Elks Club, where he enjoyed the company of his friends.

During World War II, Bill's cousin, G.I. Stancil, son of George Ira, visited him in San Diego. After the war, Bill established a highly successful nursery business in San Diego, even managing five landscape crews in the booming Los Angeles area. However, in 1952, he suffered a heart attack and developed a blood clot in his right knee, which became infected and led to gangrene. Bill endured a critical period, "dying twice" before being resuscitated. To save his life, his leg had to be amputated. Blood thinners were crucial in saving his other leg. His first prosthesis was rudimentary, but advances in prosthetic technology improved over the years. Despite his recovery, Bill's ability to work with the same stamina was significantly impacted.

In this challenging time, Dorothy, Sue Donna, and Jerry all went to work. They were hired by Convair, an aircraft manufacturing company formed in 1943 from the merger of Vultee Aircraft and Consolidated Aircraft. Jerry, still in junior high school, took a job as a dishwasher, contributing all his earnings to his father. He later worked as a cook, specializing in barbecue chicken. Sue Donna left her factory job to work selling tickets at a theater, also giving her earnings to her mother and helping care for her parents during these very tough times.

In August 1960, Bill was visited by his first cousins, Mamie Stancil Carraway and Ralph Stancil, along with Ralph's wife Ethel and children Renn, Hale, and Harold. Bill took them on a memorable trip to Mexico, where photos were taken, and he and Dorothy entertained them with a seafood dinner at Fisherman's Wharf in San Diego. Bill's yard was a testament to his horticultural skills, described as a "tropical paradise" with luscious, carpet-like grass.

In the early 1970s, Phillip Stancil, grandson of Bill's oldest brother Leumos, visited Bill. Bill's sisters, Leafy and Mozelle, also flew to San Diego to visit him in the hospital. His younger brother Herbert met them, though Dorothy had already returned home, so they did not see her. Near the time of his death, in October 1980, Bill Edwards, Bill's nephew, and G. I. Stancil Jr., his first cousin, received a call from California inquiring about Bill's Masonic standing, suggesting he had a Masonic funeral.

William "Bill" Hubert Stancil passed away on October 5, 1980, in San Diego, California. He was cremated, and his ashes were scattered on the Pacific Ocean. He was 77 years old.

Dorothy Viola Wickham Stancil lived on until December 26, 2003, passing away at the age of 91 in San Diego, California.

— Renn Stancil Hinton