We are saddened to share the passing of William “Bill” Souther, aged 94, in Fairfield, California, father of Randy Souther, Reference Librarian at Gleeson Library.
Bill was born in rural Georgia in 1932 and came of age as a sharecropper, guiding a hand plow behind a mule through tobacco fields. That life of hard labor and quiet endurance shaped his strength, resilience, and deep understanding of work, as well as a lifelong sympathy for poor and working people.
Determined to leave poverty behind, he enlisted in the Air Force (not unlike his favorite Johnny Cash, born the same year in neighboring Arkansas) and spent 26 years as a loadmaster, flying more than 10,000 hours around the world on a succession of noisy, often unpressurized, propeller‑driven cargo planes, including his beloved C‑133 Cargomaster. He met his wife while stationed in Hawaii (where he crewed with future “Tiny Bubbles” entertainer Don Ho) and later flew perilous air‑rescue missions from the Philippines into Vietnam during the war, sometimes returning in a C‑130 torn by enemy fire. The war, as well as a terrifying loss of all engines while flying over the mountains of Spain, left him with lifelong nightmares, but never dimmed his warm sense of humor or his enthusiastic harmonica playing. After retiring from the Air Force, he never flew on an airplane again.
In his post‑military career, he continued to serve through the Solano County Economic Opportunity Council, leading a hands‑on weatherization program that brought energy‑efficient upgrades and a measure of comfort to the homes of underprivileged families in the county. In retirement, he spent his days with family and friends, tending his fruit trees, tomatoes, and flowers, and was known in the neighborhood as “The Mayor” for his watchful care, his ready help to folks in need, and the simple generosity of sharing plentiful fruits and vegetables from his garden.
He is survived by his wife of 66 years, two sons, two daughters‑in‑law, and two grandchildren.