One of the Mid-Ohio Valley’s last World War II veterans has died. Willis Clark Border, age 95, died on Nov. 8, 2018.
He was born Sept. 22, 1923, in Oxbow, Ritchie Co., WV, a son of the late John and Isabel (Middleton) Border. He attended a one-room schoolhouse in Upper Gillespie until the 8th grade and graduated from Cairo High School in 1942.
Afterwards, he worked in aircraft manufacturing in Baltimore, MD, then became a sergeant in the U.S. Marines during WWII. He was on the ground crew for Magruder’s Night Raiders, named for Maj. Marion Magruder, whose F6 Hellcat fighters used radar for nighttime air attacks and gun battles.
They were credited with shooting down 35 enemy planes. Border served on Okinawa and elsewhere in the South Pacific during the war. He came home and married Helen Hill.
The couple was married for 66 years before she passed away in 2015. They had two children, the late Hon. Larry W. Border, a pharmacist and long-time WV legislator, and the late Charlene Border.
He studied forestry and business at WVU, then worked for Parkersburg Steel, and later, in the research lab at duPont Washington Works, retiring from there after 35 years. After retiring, he became a full-time farmer and property developer. He was a member of Vienna Baptist Church, Word of God Ministries, and the Cairo Masonic Lodge.
During his lifetime, he enjoyed playing tennis, giving his grandchildren tractor rides, and traveling with his wife to ranches across the country as part of the WV Cattlemens’ Association. He is survived by his brother, Lloyd Border; his daughter-in-law, Hon. Anna Border Sheppard (Roger); and his three grandchildren: Dr. Heather Mullens, D.O., and her husband, Scott, of Cary, NC, and their children, Katie, Claire and Mark; Rebecca Dimit, C.P.A., and her husband, Brad, and their children, Lacey and J.J., of Davisville; and Dr. Christopher Border, Pharm.
D., and his wife, Naddine, and their children, Kylee, Bailey and Arya, all of Davisville. A special thank you to Amedysis Hospice; Nurse Victoria; and caregivers Courtney, Kaylee, Melissa, Tammi, Teresa and Theresa for their loving care. Services will be 3:00 PM Sunday November 11, 2018 at Leavitt Funeral Home, Parkersburg with Pastor Daniel Ahart officiating.
Burial will be at Mt. Olivet Cemetery with military honors by American Legion Post 15 and Masonic Rites by Cairo Masonic Lodge #114. Visitation will be Sunday two hours prior to the service.
Memorial contributions can be made to: Parkersburg Area Community Foundation for the Hon. Larry W. Border Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 1762, Parkersburg, WV 26102.
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