William Edward Britz Jr.

William Edward Britz, Jr.

June 3, 1934 – August 12, 2025

William Edward "Bill" Britz, Jr., Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and Colonel in the United States Air Force, died on August 12, 2025, at his adopted home in Sheridan, Wyoming. He was 91 years old.

Bill is survived by his wife of 67 years, Marina Britz of Sheridan, Wyoming; his son, William R. Britz (Tamera) of Sheridan, Wyoming; five grandchildren, William Stewart (Kenzie) of Charlotte, North Carolina, Matthew Britz of Sheridan, Wyoming, Claire Keen (JR) of Nashville, Tennessee, Samantha Britz of Seattle, Washington, and Danielle Britz of Cheyenne, Wyoming; and his siblings, Ruth Ann Waymire of Dayton, Ohio, Nancy Louise Philip of Wood Dale, Illinois, and Tommy Lee Britz of Irvine, Kentucky. He was the oldest of four children and was preceded in death by his daughter, Laura Marian Britz Stewart (Tommy) of Roswell, Georgia; his brother, Joseph E. Britz of Chicago, Illinois; and his parents, Harriett Gibson Beeby Britz and William Edward Britz, Sr., both of Springfield, Illinois.

Bill was born in Springfield, Illinois, on June 3, 1934. His early years were spent on the family farm, where he learned the values of hard work, responsibility, and care for animals. He attended local schools before enrolling at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, graduating in 1959 with degrees in Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine.

He began his career in private practice at Labby Animal Medicine in Blue Island, Illinois. To fulfill his ROTC service obligation, he accepted a commission as a First Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force and was assigned to a research facility at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, New Mexico. There, he was introduced to primate medicine and became part of a pioneering program training chimpanzees for early space flight. Bill served as command veterinarian for "Ham," the first space chimpanzee, whose January 1961 flight preceded the launch of America's first astronaut, Alan Shepard. Ham's mission-and that of "Enos," the second space chimp-proved so successful that the Mercury astronauts could follow in safety, ushering in the era of U.S. human space travel.

Bill's Air Force career also took him overseas, with assignments in Izmir, Turkey, and at Clark Air Base in the Philippines, where he served as base veterinarian. His family accompanied him on both tours, enjoying the opportunity to explore the Near East and Asia. After 26 years of service, he retired in 1980 with the rank of Colonel, having been awarded the Presidential Legion of Merit and the Defense Service Medal.

Following his military career, Bill joined the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center as Director of the Center for Comparative Medicine. In 1991, he founded a small company dedicated to designing and manufacturing enriched housing environments for research animals. His commitment to improving the welfare of animals in research lives on through Britz & Company, which continues to operate in Wheatland and Sheridan, Wyoming, under the care of his family.

A celebration of his life will be held in Wheatland, Wyoming on Saturday August 23rd from 2pm to 4pm at Tinker Flats Winery (2554 West Walnut). A military funeral will be held at Camp Butler National Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois.

Online condolences may be made to www.sheridanfuneral.com. Arrangements are under the care of Sheridan Funeral Home.