WILLIAM BRODBECK

Brodbeck Jan 17,1921 - April 10, 2014 OKLAHOMA CITY William "Bill" Charles Brodbeck was born 17 Jan 1921 in Albuquerque. He was preceded in death by parents, John Jacob and Sixta (Valenzuela) Brodbeck; and siblings, John and Fred Brodbeck and Elizabeth Spawr. Bill grew up in southern California and earned an AA degree from Compton Jr College. During WWII, he became a 1st lieutenant in the Army Air Corps and flew P-47 fighters. He served in Germany during its occupation. In 1950, he married his wartime sweetheart, Mary Ellen Hancock, of Lincoln Park, MI. They moved to Buttonwillow, CA, where he co-owned the Buttonwillow Dusters. Upon leaving the crop dusting business, Bill went into aircraft sales and racing. In 1966, he set a world speed record in the Commander 200 and earned the Louis Bleriot Award for this feat. Bill sold Aero Commander planes and Ayres Turbo Thrushes out of Albany, GA and OKC for many years. In 1985, he flew the Turbo Thrush to set three world time to climb records which stand today. After his retirement in 1991, Bill enjoyed travel, yard and home projects, and attending OU football games. Bill learned to scuba dive and amassed 100+ open water dives. Bill is survived by Mary Ellen, his wife of 64 years; his brother, James, of California; daughter, Robin Raney, of Georgia; daughter, Nancy and husband Gary Huang, of California; son, Robert Brodbeck and wife Katy, of OKC; grandsons, Blake Raney, Jason Huang, and Jackson Brodbeck; nieces and nephews. Bill will be deeply missed by all. Visitation will be held 14 Apr 2014, 6-8 p.m. at Mercer-Adams Funeral Service. Services will be on Tuesday 15 Apr 2014, at 2 p.m. at Grace United Methodist, OKC. Memorials to American Diabetes Association. To share a memory or condolence, visit www.mercer-adams.com www.mercer-adams.com