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William Patrick Emley, Jr.,
known to family and friends as Bill, was born on August 25, 1932 and
raised in Jersey City, NJ. Many of the traits that would follow Bill
through his life were evident at an early age. Bill attended
Catholic schools. His Catholic faith was the foundation upon which
his life was built. A quick mind and strong sense of humor were
traits demonstrated while attending St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City.
For example, Bill once said sarcastically, “Oh, never mind,” to a
Brother who was fumbling over Bill’s math question. The Brother
sought to have Bill suspended, but Bill was saved that evening by an
injury in a football game. School officials felt sorry for Bill and
did not take any action. Bill cautioned his children not to say
“never mind” to an authority figure.
Bill received a congressional appointment and entered
West Point in July 1950.
After Beast Barracks, Bill was assigned to Company
K-1. Members of K-1 recall Bill as an excellent roommate with a
great sense of humor and the ability to master academics with ease.
He continued to show his strong Catholic faith by frequently
attending weekday Mass, arriving late for breakfast. Bill was a
member of the Catholic Choir all four years that he spent at West
Point.
Bill joined USAF upon graduation. Bill and Audrey
were married in 1957. They had 6 children. Three children, Julie,
Michael and Suzanne, predeceased Bill. In addition to Audrey, Bill
is survived by children Billy, Eddie and Meg Melnik, as well as
eight grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
Bill had a very active USAF career, serving in
Morocco and teaching math for five years at the USAF Academy. He was
in charge of a missile program at Vandenberg AFB, CA and then served
in the Pentagon before retiring in 1975.
Bill received a master’s in aeronautical engineering
from Oklahoma State University and a doctorate in philosophy for
math education from the University of Maryland. Bill enjoyed
teaching math at the college level and became an instructor at the
Charles County Community College. In addition to teaching and
serving as a Deacon in his church, he was active in theater
production and golf until his illness with a crippling form of
dementia. Bill’s daughter eulogized her father with the following
thoughts:
“In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus tells a parable
where he rewards his faithful servant with the phrase: ‘Well-done,
good and faithful servant.’ After watching my father live his
life-being faithful to God, to his family, to his church and to his
country - I can very easily imagine our God in heaven saying to him,
‘Well- done, good and faithful servant.’
“In 1975, Dad retired from the Air Force, but he
still retained his love for teaching. And so he began teaching math
at the Charles County Community College. It was at the Community
College where he noticed the students there struggling with the
fundamentals of math. These struggling students fired his intellect
and his compassion and the idea for his math thesis was born. His
dissertation which addressed best methods for teaching students who
struggled in math was published in 1986.
“In the early ’90s Dad retired from the Charles
County Community College, but he felt God calling him to serve as a
Deacon at St. Ignatius. God took his offering, deepening not only my
father’s faith, but the faith of so many others who were part of his
church, his family and his life.”
Bill’s youngest son, Eddie, added the following
thoughts: “My Father accomplished many things in his life: West
Point graduate, USAF fighter pilot, Doctor of Education, father of
six and loving husband of more than 55 years. One of the things he
enjoyed doing most was being a Deacon and part of the ministry. He
loved serving God and His Church by helping the people of the parish
and bringing them closer to God. Not the least of these was marrying
a couple of crazy kids from Southern Maryland just starting their
lives together or baptizing two of his grandchildren. Whether it was
singing in the church choir, administering the Eucharist to the
elderly and infirm or cooking some really good fried chicken at the
annual church festival, my dad loved doing it all.
“My dad was a teacher. I had the opportunity to be in
his class twice. As much as he taught me in the classroom, he taught
me much more outside of it. He taught me how to ride a bike, how to
tie a tie and tie a knot, how to shovel snow, how to chop wood and
how to make a fire. He taught me about hard work and attention to
your task and how to make pancakes for your kids in the shape of
their initials on their birthday and to be kind to children and
respectful of women. My Dad taught me the importance of family and
his deep abiding faith in God. What he was actually teaching me was
the most important thing a father can teach his son: what it means
to be a man.”
The portrait of William Patrick Emley Jr. depicted in
words by his children reflect attainment of Mathew’s Gospel:
“Well-done good and faithful servant.”
After a long illness, Bill passed away on December
29, 2014. His final place of rest is the church where he served as a
deacon: St. Ignatius Chapel Point in Port Tobacco, MD.
— Classmate and family |
