William Thomas "Bill" Hughes

William Thomas “Bill” Hughes, 86, of Lebanon, died September 4, 2019 at his residence with his loving wife by his side. He was the husband of Jean Adair (Murray; Eckard) Hughes, and would have been married 22 years in November. Born in Kingston, PA on May 8, 1933, he was the son of the late Thomas J. and Blodwen (Jones) Hughes. Bill graduated from West Hazleton High School, received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Bloomsburg State Teachers College, and received his Master’s Degree from Central Connecticut State. Teaching mostly physics and astronomy in secondary education, Bill taught in PA, CT, Kenya and eventually in Sarasota, FL, retiring after 39 years of teaching. Bill was a U.S. Navy Veteran during the Korean War, participating in pre-flight aviation training in Pensacola, FL, as well as being stationed on the USS Leary DDR879 in the Mediterranean. Bill was also a member of the Army National Guard for 4 years in Connecticut. He was selected by Columbia University for AID (aid for International Development) to teach science in Kenya, was the winner of GTE Gift Fellow Award (1993) to study archeoastronomy in Mexico, and received a National Defense Service Ribbon. After returning to Riverview High School in Sarasota, FL, Bill built an archeoastronomy museum for the school. A member of Cornwall United Methodist Church, Bill believed that a person should never give up dreams and should love the Lord always. He sang deep bass in church choirs and an oratorio society, as well as played baritone, trombone, and piano during the big band era in high school, college, dance bands, and a military band. He enjoyed studying and reading scientific information in depth, especially about the world’s volcanoes, astronomy, the aurora borealis, and rocks, minerals, and gem stones. He enjoyed world-wide travel by car, plane, train, bus, and ship. Bill liked to build things such as O-gauge train layouts, model ships, and planes, as well as putting jigsaw puzzles together, watching college sports, especially Penn State football, playing cards, Yahtzee and board games. In the past, he was a member of a skydiving team, flew military trainers for US Navy during the Korean War, received a brown belt in Judo, and climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro as an outward-bound instructor. Surviving in addition to his wife are daughters Sandy Hughes of Colorado, Sharon (Hughes) Morris of Vermont, sister Merle Ann (Hughes) Whitebread of Elizabethtown, brother-in-law and sister-in-law Don and Rosanne (Murray) Wiest of Stevens, PA, four nieces and three nephews. He was preceded in death by a sister June (Hughes) Harakas, brother-in-law Elwood Whitebread, and previous wives Doris (Seeley) Hughes, and Gail Diane (Gustufson) Hughes. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, September 12, 2019 at 11:15 AM at Cornwall United Methodist Church, 50 Freeman Drive, Lebanon, PA 17042. Viewing will be held from 10 AM until the time of service at the church. Interment will take place in Indiantown Gap National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Bill’s memory to his church, PO Box 687, Alden Street, Cornwall, PA 17016.

William Thomas "Bill" Hughes

May 8, 1933 - September 4, 2019