William Henry "Hank, Bill" Webster Jr.

Biography: William Henry Webster Jr. (known as "Hank" as a child, and "Bill" as an adult), 82, died suddenly and unexpectedly on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at his home in Cammack Village, Arkansas. He had lived with Type 2 diabetes for more than 25 years.

Bill was the oldest child of General William H. Webster, Sr. (USAF), and Betty Alice Baldwin Webster. He was born in Muskogee, Oklahoma, and grew up in San Antonio, Texas, where his father was based. The family was fortunate to spend two years in Hawaii during Bill's grade school years, when his dad was assigned to Hickam Air Force Base in the 1950s. Bill graduated from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, in 1965, with honors, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature.

He entered military service in September 1965 as Second Lieutenant with the US Air Force and was assigned to Tyndal Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida. He was honorably discharged as Captain in September 1969. From November 1967 to September 1969, Bill was deployed to air bases in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. As part of that assignment, he completed Jungle Survival School in 1968. He spent a total of 22 months deployed, first to Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB) for two months, then to Nakhon Phanom (NKP) RTAFB for 20 months. These bases conducted classified operations and were not publicly known at the time. In recent years, Bill loved to connect at annual reunions with others who served in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia in what's now called "the Secret War".

Bill was Information Officer at NKP RTAFB for the 56 th Special Operations Wing (SOW), Task Force Alpha (TFA), a top-secret U.S. Air Force intelligence operation. His assignment involved varied roles, including combat photographer. He flew 20 combat missions as photographer. For his service, Bill earned the National Defense Service Medal; the Vietnam Service Medal; Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal; the Air Force Longevity Service Award; the Bronze Star.

On discharge from the USAF in 1969, Bill enrolled in the University of Southern California's Fine Arts program where he studied film making for two years. Soon after his film studies, he worked for the Veterans Administration for a year, then moved to a position as Air Traffic Control Specialist with the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He worked for several years as a controller at Eureka/Arcata Airport, Humbolt County, California. He transferred to the FAA's training academy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, as an instructor; then to Fort Worth Center, Fort Worth, Texas, as manager for Information Systems (IS) development. In 1989 he transferred to FAA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., to oversee broader IS upgrades.

On retiring from the FAA in 1995, Bill completed course work and the state exams to qualify as Certified Public Accountant (CPA). As a CPA, he did tax preparation and consulting in Northern Virginia for several years. From 1990 forward, Bill and his wife, Barbara, frequently visited Bill's parents in Little Rock. In 2017 Bill and Barbara permanently relocated here.

Bill's family and friends were fascinated by his exhaustive knowledge of military history, aviation history, sports minutiae (both current and historical) for all sports, movies and filmmaking, English literature, drama, poetry, Broadway musicals, comedy, and an assortment of other interests. As a veteran, and having grown up in a military family, knowledge of all things military was a top passion. As an aircraft pilot, with multiple certification categories, including Flight Instructor, aviation was an equal passion. That included a significant knowledge of meteorology. He had recently renewed his Flight Instructor Certification, though he no longer actively flew.

Bill was loved by all for his quick wit, quirky insights, and impish (but subtle) sense of humor. At times, it took a few seconds to "get it". His best stories usually began with, "So, there I was, at 30,000 feet . . . ". All of us knew we were going to hear a true raconteur and would settle down to hear the story. Although Bill can't tell us about his final flight, we know that there he is, at 30,000 feet and rising. Fly safe, Bill. Fly safe, and Godspeed.

Bill is survived by his wife, Barbara; his sister, Lynn Webster Oram (Rod, deceased 2024) of Auckland, New Zealand; his niece, Celeste Oram (Kier GoGwilt) of New York City; a special cousin, Julie Warren Webster (James Campbell) of Clearwater, Florida; and many friends who will cherish his memory. He was predeceased by his mother, Betty Webster (2008); his father, General William H. Webster, Sr. (2019); and his brother, Michael W. Webster (1999).

In lieu of flowers, his family requests memorial contributions to a Veterans' organization of your choice in Bill's honor.

His family invites his friends to visitation at the Ruebel Funeral Home, 6313 W. Markham, Little Rock, 2 - 4 p.m., Tuesday, January 6, 2026. Friends are also invited to attend his graveside service and burial with Military Honors, at Arkansas State Veterans Cemetery, 1501 W Maryland Ave, North Little Rock, Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at 1:00 pm. Graveside service will be conducted by Dr. Jeff Hampton of Pulaski Heights United Methodist Church. Arrangements are under the direction of RuebelFuneralHome.com