Will Hill Tankersley

In the early morning hours of Saturday, November 28, 2015, Major General Will Hill Tankersley died in his sleep at the age of 87 after a life of accomplishment and public service. He was a three-time Presidential Appointee (Assistant Secretary of Defense (Ford Administration)); President of the Reserve Forces Policy Board (Reagan Administration), and Battlefield Memorial Commission (Bush (41) Administration). He served multiple terms on the Vestry (and as Senior Warden) at St. John's Episcopal Church, the Montgomery Committee of 100, the Unity Club, the Rotary Club. He also was Chairman of two Auburn University Advisory Councils and led many other civic organizations. He was a West Point graduate, part of the ill-fated class of 1950, which suffered unusually high casualties in Korea. He was in the combat zone as an Infantry platoon leader for six campaigns over thirteen months for which he was awarded the Bronze Star for valor. At the end of his combat tours, when he was twenty-three years old, he was told he was the oldest living infantry lieutenant in Korea. He remained in the U.S. Army Reserves and returned to his people in Alabama where the Hill and Tankersley families had lived, worked and served since before Alabama was a state. He rose from the most junior broker to the President of Sterne, Agee and Leach. As a young soldier stationed in the Ranger School in Fort Benning, Georgia, he met the love of his life, Theda Clark Ball. They married in 1954 and were devoted companions until her death in 2013. In his last months, he often spoke about how much he missed her. He is survived by his sons Will Hill Jr. (Kristin) and David, his beloved daughter Theda (Chuck), as well as his nieces, nephews, and grandchildren. His pall bearers are Stewart Hill Tankersley, M.D., Chappell H.L. Hill, Young W. Stevenson, Charles D. ("Chuck") Ocheltree, General David L. Funk, General Bowen Ballard, Davidson Carter ("David") Tankersley, and Will Hill Tankersley, Jr. The honorary pall bearers are his nephews Felix M. ("Tank") Tankersley, Thomas C. Tankersley, along with his friends General Charles G. ("Chick") Cleveland, and Richard H. Amberg, Jr. General Tankersley was blessed in his final months by the many kindnesses from his caregivers: Flora Russell, Sandra Akram, Lela Craddick, Mary Jackson, Callie Roberts, and Larry Webb. The family extends a heartfelt appreciation to General Tankersley's stalwart nephew, Colonel Stewart Hill Tankersley, M.D., whose calm, confident and skillful medical care, often at night and on weekends, was a great comfort in difficult times. The funeral service will be at St. John's Episcopal Church in Montgomery, Alabama on Tuesday, December 1, 2015, at 10:00 a.m. with graveside service to follow at Oakwood Cemetery. Family and friends will be welcomed at General Tankersley's home after the service. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that those who wish to do so make a contribution to Saint John's Episcopal Church in honor of Rev. Robert C. Wisnewski, Rector of St. John's, for whom General Tankersley had the highest respect and affection.