William Arthur Staff, 89

William Arthur Staff, 89, of Huntingburg died on Thursday, January 15, 2015, at Brookside Village Assisted Living Facility in Jasper.

He was born in Jacksonville, Illinois on August 10, 1925 to the late Dr. and Mrs. Leonard Ellis Staff, Sr. and was the fourth of their five children.

Bill graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1943 and immediately enlisted in the US Navy. Following his service during World War II, he attended Illinois College from which he graduated in 1948 with a bachelor’s degree in physics. In that same year he was commissioned an ensign in the Navy, married Betty June Davis, also of Jacksonville, IL, and began flight training in Pensacola, Fla.

He received his naval aviator wings while in Corpus Christie, Texas and was subsequently stationed in San Diego, Cali. and Oak Harbor, Wash. He served two years as a reconnaissance pilot during the Korean War, after which he commanded the naval ROTC program at the University of Illinois in Champagne-Urbana.  In 1957, he was a member of the commissioning crew of the USS Ranger out of Newport News, Va., and was deployed twice as part of the Mediterranean fleet.

Bill left active duty in 1958 but remained in the reserve and attained the rank of Lt. Commander before retiring completely from the navy after twenty-eight years of service.

Immediately following his active duty, Bill and his family lived in Shenandoah, Iowa for two years, after which he owned and operated a business in Evansville. He lived in Evansville until retiring in 1988 to Fairhope, Ala.

In 2006, Bill and Betty moved to Huntingburg to be closer to their oldest son and his family.

Bill was a life-long member of the Presbyterian Church USA and served as deacon and elder at various times over the years. He was also a dedicated and committed member of Kiwanis International. During his time near the shore in Fairhope, Ala., he was a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Bill is survived by his wife of sixty-six years, Betty Davis Staff; three sons, Noll (Ann) of St Anthony, Todd of Nashville and Kirk (Linda) of Columbus, Ohio; six grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

In accordance with Bill’s wishes, his cremated remains will be scattered at sea and there will be no memorial service.

Nass & Son Funeral Home in Huntingburg has been entrusted with the arrangements.

Condolences may be shared online at www.nassandson.com.