William Charles Cleveland Jr. was born on December 13, 1926 in Chicago, Illinois to William Charles Cleveland and Georgia Brannon. William grew up in Illinois and Indiana. He graduated from high school and began his educational career at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana until December 1944 when he enlisted in the United States Navy Reserves where he served as an electronic technician until July 1946. While in the Navy he earned the Victory medal and the American Area Campaign medal.He returned to Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana where he earned both a Bachelors and a Masters degree. He met his wife to be, Dorothy Louise Jones, while at Purdue, and they were married on June 21, 1947. William later earned a Phd degree in business administration.
William and Dorothy lived in Chicago, Illinois until 1952, where two of their children, David Charles and Susan Esther were born. They then moved to San Diego where two more of their children, Nancy Ruth and Judith Ann were born and lived there until 1958. William then moved his family to Littleton, Colorado, where they lived until 1961. At that point they moved to Santa Ana, California, until 1988.
When William retired after a lengthy career at Ford Aeronautics in 1988 they bought property and had a home built in Putney, Vermont where they lived until 2007. While living in Vermont they traveled between Putney, Vermont, Laguna Woods, California, and Molokai, Hawaii, until finally settling down in Laguna Woods in 2007. He moved from Laguna Woods, California to Clayton, California in December, 2015 to live with his eldest daughter, Susan Petersen.
William was predeceased by his parents, William Cleveland, Georgia Brannon, and stepmother Janice Cleveland, as well as his son, David Cleveland in 1971 and his wife, Dorothy Cleveland in 2012. William is survived by his sister Libra Jan Gysel, brother John H. Cleveland, his three daughters, Susan Petersen, Nancy Whelihan and her husband Tom Whelihan, and Judith Cleveland Palmeri. He is also survived by his seven grandchildren, Eric Petersen, Kate Starkebaum, Sheldon Momaney, Duncan Momaney, John-David Whelihan, Shelby Whelihan, and Nicole Momaney, and five great -grandchildren Mariam and Chloe Momaney, Emme and Axel Petersen, and Lucas Starkebaum.
WilliamCleveland passed away peacefully at home in Clayton, California on December 1, 2016.Everyone is invited to join the family as they celebrate William's life. The first celebration will be held on Saturday, January 21, 2017 at El Toro Memorial Cemetery at 2 PM with a presentation by the Navy Honor Guard. The second celebration will be on Sunday, January 22, 2017 at the First Christian church service at Clubhouse 3 in Laguna Woods beginning at 10 AM, with the service following at 11:15.