William Offutt Obituary

William Basil Offutt, Colonel (Ret.) United States Air Force September 28, 1906 - July 1, 2008. Retired Air Force Colonel William Basil Offutt passed away on July 1, 2008 in Wilsonville, Oregon. Offutt was born in Fulton, Missouri, in 1906. He attended Westminster College in Fulton from 1925 - 1928 where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta. In 1928, when famed pilot Charles Lindbergh barnstormed into town, Bill helped refuel and pushout Lindbergh's plane, for which he was rewarded with a short flight. This flight convinced Bill to become a pilot, and in June 1928, he was accepted for flight training in the US Army Air Corps. In July, Cadet Offutt went to March Field in Riverside, California, where he flew the PT-3, and then to Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, for advanced flight training. Bill served his country for over 30 years in the Army Air Corps and U.S. Air Force. He flew over 5,000 flight hours in a wide variety of aircraft. He retired in the grade of Colonel on July 31, 1958, having served at numerous installations worldwide. His final duty assignment was as Base Commander at Ent AFB, Colorado Springs, Colorado. His military awards included the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star. Colonel Offutt was a life member of The Order of Daedalians, the premier fraternal organization of pilots, and was the oldest surviving Flight 11 member of that group. After retiring from the Air Force, Bill spent several years working as Vice-President and member of the Board of Directors of the Bank of Fountain Valley. In 1972, he retired completely to spend more time with his family and to further engage in his favorite hobby, woodworking. Bill resided in Colorado Springs from 1956 to late 1994, when he moved to Wilsonville, Oregon. Bill Offutt was preceded in death by his wife of fifty-nine years, Katharine Mary (Hall) Offutt, known as Marie, who passed away in 1994. He is survived by his daughter, Kay (Offutt) Schmidt of Lake Oswego, Oregon; son Frederic William Offutt of Boerne, Texas; grandchildren Jeffrey Eugene Downing, Keith Andrew Downing, Jason Daniel Offutt and Kelly Marie (Offutt) Hartman; and great-grandchildren Ivan James Patrick Downing and Basil Andrew Downing. A private memorial service will be held in Colorado Springs in late September.