William Anthony Studabaker

STUDABAKER

WILLIAM ANTHONY STUDABAKER

Bill Studabaker's life was filled with deep loyalty, affection and generosity. He had a wicked dry wit that could make you grin or bend over with laughter. On August 8, 2022, Bill passed away after completing 92 orbits around the sun. He loved his wife, his children and grandchildren, his garden in McLean, VA, Pecan Sandies, and reading about bucky balls and quantum physics. Not necessarily in that order. He hated coconut and stupid politicians. Not necessarily in that order.



Bill loved to tinker in his workshop, which was the envy of his sons. With a degree in electrical engineering, he was frequently called on to fix everything his wife wanted fixed. She even asked him to move small boulders around their McLean garden, stones he dubbed toss rocks. A fighter pilot who in his own words was "a darn good pilot," Bill awed his children with his skill at moving in and around the infamous traffic on the Washington, DC, beltway.



Born in Berkeley, CA, Bill graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1952. His class is well remembered for stepping out of their shoes on the parade ground on graduation day and walking off in stockinged feet. Hence the class motto "tough shoes to fill." Bill followed in his father's footsteps by attending the Naval Academy (his father, class of 1922, was a Navy captain), but opted to enter the newly created Air Force as a second lieutenant. His love for flying began at the academy, where he flew the N3N "Yellow Peril." In the Air Force he flew F-86s and submarine chasers, accumulating over 3,000 hours.



During his Air Force years, Bill and his family moved frequently, from Florida to Texas, Illinois to Colorado, Massachusetts to Virginia and New Mexico. He also served in AGARD in Paris, France, much to the great joy of his wife. After 20 years of military service, Bill retired as a lieutenant colonel but continued to serve the Department of Defense as a consultant through McDonnell Douglas and ANSER.



Bill was preceded in death by his two older brothers, Jack and Jim. He is survived by Jane, his wife of 70 years; his four children and their spouses (Steven and Miriam, Bill and Rita, Anne and her fiancé Al, and Richard and Cece), and his four grandchildren, Will, John, Bryan and Katie.



A memorial service will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.