In Memory

William Hoyt Chamberlain - Class Of 1940

William Hoyt Chamberlain

Resident of Walnut Creek, William Hoyt "Bill" Chamberlain passed away from complications of Parkinson's disease on April 11, 2008. Bill was born in Oakland, California on June 29, 1922. During WWII he was commissioned a Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps and served as a flight engineer on a B-29 in the Pacific theater.

Bill married Phyllis Mason on June 17, 1944. In 1947 Bill graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. He obtained his Master's Degree at Stanford University in 1950. Bill moved his family to Rhode Island in 1955 and worked for BIF Industries in Providence. In 1960, the family returned to Califormia, where Bill worked at the Berkeley Lawrence Laboratory.

In 1974 Bill's first wife, Phyllis, died from cancer. Bill married Minnie Lewis on August 16, 1975. In addition to his wife, Minnie Lewis Chamberlain, Bill is survived by three children from his first wife, Barbara Madsen, Joanne Stephens and Richard Chamberlain. Bill has seven grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Bill is also survived by Minnie's three children from her first marriage.

Contra Costa Times, April 25, 2008