William V. Thaden

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William V. Thaden

On June 19, 2012, devoted husband, father, and pilot extraordinaire, William V. Thaden departed this earthly plane to allow his spirit to finally fly free.

Born in Pittsburgh, PA, on July 29, 1930, the son of pioneering aviators Louise McPhetridge Thaden and Herbert Von Thaden, he would often reminisce that he had been flying since time-minus-nine months. A rambunctious child who fished for crawdads in the creeks of Roanoke, VA, “Wild Willy” lived up to his nickname so perfectly that Charles Lindbergh once locked him in a coat closet in an attempt to get some semblance of order during a dinner visit. Bill attended Jefferson High School, in Roanoke VA, where he learned to play a mean game of tackle football and helped the team achieve State Championship.

Though he had to repeat kindergarten, he didn’t let that academic set back keep him from getting accepted into the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech in 1949 where he also played defensive tackle under celebrated football coach Bobby Dodd. He was a starter on Tech’s ’51 and ’52 teams whose records were 11-0-1 and 12-0-0 respectively. They won the ’51 Orange Bowl and the ’52 Sugar Bowl as well as the National Championship.

Bill joined the ROTC at Georgia Tech and served in the US Marine Corps. After graduation, The Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech served as a fighter pilot in the US Air Force, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. His favorite missions involved flying F-86s on the Air Intercept Con as a member of the Rocketry Team. The Air Force allowed Bill to travel the world, sustaining his gregarious spirit through many an adventure, including a misbegotten attempt to climb Switzerland’s Matterhorn.

He continued to serve in the Air Force Reserves and as a member of the New Hampshire Air National Guard while also embarking on a lifelong career as a pilot at Eastern Airlines. At Eastern Bill met the love of his life and wife of 52 years, Louise (Orsie) Thaden, a (then) stewardess he met when she uttered the words, “Coffee, tea, or me?” He knew it was love when, on their first date, she out-fished him. But he didn’t come home empty handed.

After rising to the rank of Captain at Eastern, Bill would often bid trips based on the local cuisine, preferring trips that led him to San Antonio, New Orleans, San Francisco, and the Bahamas in search of the hottest dishes he could manage to eat. Among his fleet at Eastern were the Martin 404, Constellation, Electra, DC-9, and 727. He served as a Check Airman, and as Head of Professional Standards, an honor reserved for the best of the best, though Bill would never tell you that himself. A humble pilot, he was well respected among his colleagues, not only for his impeccable flying skills, but also for his gracious attitude. Many co-pilots have remarked over the years that when Bill Thaden got into the cockpit, you watched him strap on his seat belt as if he were strapping wings onto his back.

A man’s man, Bill was an avid hunter and fisherman. He came to terms with the fact that he had two daughters -- Tracy L. Thaden of Stratham, NH and Terry L. von Thaden of IL – with ease, sharing his love of the outdoors and eventually teaching them to fish, camp, tie flies, and flawlessly scale and gut fish, in addition to driving them to ballet class. His love of family and assorted gaggle of hound dogs and adopted cats was eclipsed only by his love of aviation and imbibing a good scotch.

He spent the latter years of his life restoring aircraft, fighting a golf ball around the green, cooking up superior barbeque on the grill, gardening, and enjoying quality time with his friends and family, who he considered the most important of life’s pleasures.

In addition to his loving wife and daughters, he leaves behind son-in-law Les Gasser and grandchildren Liam Gasser and Lisette Gasser of Illinois; his sister Patricia Webb of Maryland; numerous nieces and nephews who loved him as a second father; and countless beloved friends.

Boisterous and bold, Bill remained ever the true gentleman. He was never one to shy away from telling a good war story or reciting the poetry of Robert Service. Through his gift of storytelling, Bill could capture and hold the attention of any audience for hours. Once he began a tale of the good ol’ days, you didn’t want him to conclude.

Bill was a true aviator to the end. His fighter pilot swagger never left him – it just slowed a bit into his later years. He kept a twinkle in his eye and mischief in his heart, leaving this world peacefully heading off to yet another adventure into the wild blue yonder.

A memorial of his life will be celebrated at 1 p.m. on June 30 at the Community Congregational Church on 2 Post Road in Greenland. The family also requests written stories of Bill to assemble into a book of memories.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his name may be made to the Children’s Tumor Foundation, dedicated to neurofibromatosis research; a genetic condition Bill hoped would be eradicated during his lifetime, at www.ctf.org .

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Memorial Service -

Saturday, June 30, 2012

1:00 pm

Community Congregational Church

2 Post Road

Greenland, New Hampshire

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