William McNaught Damerel, age 81, of Rochester, MN, died Friday, April 26, 2019 at Seasons Hospice in Rochester.
William was born June 30, 1937, in Detroit, MI, the son of Will and Janet (McNaught) Damerel. He honorably served in the United States Marine Corps from 1957 - 1965 as an air traffic controller, and he obtained the rank of Sergeant. Bill graduated from Auburn University in Auburn, AL, with a Bachelor of Industrial Management degree in 1963. While he was a student, he was united in marriage to Theresa “Terri” Hodson in Auburn on June 3, 1961. He worked for IBM in Rochester for 48 years, which included significant contributions to the creation of the S/32, S/36, and AS/400 systems that were produced – retiring in 2014.
Bill loved jazz and classical music, as well as musicals like “Oklahoma!” and “South Pacific.” He also enjoyed John Wayne movies, and “True Grit” was a favorite. He later continued his service with the Marines being a civilian volunteer with the charity Toys for Tots. Other hobbies included photography, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary (which included serving as the DSO-AN for the Eight Western Rivers Region), and anything to do with boating and the Mississippi river. Bill led a selfless life of service.
He is preceded in death by his parents.
Bill is survived by his wife, Terri; daughter, Nicola “Niki” Damerel (significant other, Jay Shields) of Hastings, MN; grandson, Joshua “Josh” Damerel of Hastings, MN; sister, Mary Fisher of Elkhart, KS; nephews, Adam Fisher and Cobb Fisher of Wichita, KS; and his beloved dog, Tinker Bell.
A memorial gathering will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, May 6, 2019 in the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home in Rochester. Following the gathering, all are invited to the burial service at Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Preston at 2:00 p.m.
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