William (Bill) K. Blades

William K. Blades (Bill) 90, of Valhalla, N.Y. died on Sept. 7,2019 at White Plains Hospital. He was born on June 29, 1929 to the late William, Sr. and Elizabeth ( nee Borden) Blades in Spring Lake, NJ. William is survived by cousins, , Harold (Terry) Blades of Ocean, N.J. and Dr. Frederick (Sarah) Blades of Fair Haven, N.J. Nancy (Fariborz) Fatemi of Mclean, VA. Predeceased by Jean Worthington of Spring Lake, N.J. and Virginia Lackett of Freehold, N.J. He is also predeceased by his mother, Elizabeth in 1975 and his father Floyd in 1977. He married his one and only wonderful wife, Marquerite Windisch in 1951 where they lived in White Plains, they moved to Valhalla, N.Y. in 1961. His wife Marquerite died in 1985. He served in the US Army in various locations, Alaska, Oakridge, TN, White Sands, NM, Guam, Kwajalein and Fort Monmouth, N.J. and received an honorable discharge with the rank of Staff Sgt. He graduated from White Plains High School and went to work for (MaBell) NY Telephone Co. Sometime later he went to NYU at night and later the NYU Management Institute where he graduated in 1959. In his 35 years in the Telephone Co. he was a Repairman, Wire Chief, Engineer and Project Mgr. His many endeavors included; telephones and switch boards for handicapped users. Custom Telephone Booths for Lincoln Center and other locations. He was the POTUS Engineer responsible for the US President’s switch board and telephone communications when the President visited NYC. He was also the project mgr. for the first 911 system (City Wide) installed in NYC at 1 Police Plaza in Lower Manhattan. Which placed all five boro’s of NYC under 1 dispatch center. He also had many other large central office moves cutovers to his credit. In addition he was a member of the Telephone Co. speakers panel and gave presentations on the various aspects of the Bell System. He was the lay Pastor of the Elmsford Christian Fellowship in Elmsford, N.Y. for some years in the 1970’s. He served on the Town of Mount Pleasant’s Assessment Review Board for 27 years as well as Chairmen of the Board for two years. He also belonged to many organizations including, The Valhalla Ambulance Corps and was a past captain and was a volunteer dispatcher 510 for the Westchester County Fire Control and an American Red Cross First Aid Instructor. He is a member of The Valhalla Lions Club, The American Legion (Albany Post 1), The Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, The Planetery Society, Astronomical Society of the Pacific, American Society of Marine Artist, The National Maritime Historical Society and The US Navel Institute. Most recently he was honored by the Town of Mount Pleasant for his volunteer activities and his service to the community and his work as a volunteer for the Town’s Emergency Operational Center. His excellent Seascapes and ship paintings have been exhibited in Art Shows and either sold or donated to charitable causes. He was an active Amateur Astronomer well known for his “Down to Earth” talks on astronomy. He belonged to many Astronomy groups including The New York Amateur Astronomers Association, headquartered at the Hayden Planetarium, where he was chairman of the Field Trips Committee, where he lead various expeditions to eclipse locations and other viewing locations. He produced and directed a television series on “Astronomy for Everyone” which ran over 10 years. Bill always ended his TV Program with: “Get Out and Enjoy the Majestic Night Sky, Good Health, Good Viewing and Good Night”. Reposing, Hawthorne Funeral Home on Thursday, 4-8 PM. Graveside Services at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne, N.Y. on Friday, 11 AM. In lieu of flowers donations to either The Valhalla Ambulance Corps, The Valhalla Fire Dept. or Rosary Hill Home in Hawthorne, N.Y., would be appreciated.

HAWTHORNE FUNERAL HOME

21 West Stevens Ave.

Hawthorne, New York 10532

914-769-4404