William A. Shoemaker, 87, died Friday, February 12, 2010, at St. Anne's Retirement Community. He and his wife Caroline E. Klingseisen Shoemaker marked their 65 ^th wedding anniversary on December 14 ^th .

He was born in and lived most of his life in Lancaster, the son of the late Cyril Ardele Shoemaker and Isabel Conlin Shoemaker Baublitz. William was a 1941 graduate of Lancaster Catholic High School. He was a sheet metal worker for over 40 years, having last worked for the former Kirchoff, Inc., in Lancaster.

William served in the Navy in the South Pacific with the 7 ^th Fleet onboard the destroyer USS Hutchins. A Water Tender 2 ^nd Class, he took part in support troop landings at Iwo Jima and Okinawa, where the destroyer was hit by a kamikaze launch and had to be towed to Pearl Harbor for repairs.

He was a member of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, where he sang in the choir. William was a former member of the Knights of Columbus and its choir and he played tuba in the former Conestoga Reynolds Band. He enjoyed model railroading and was a member of AARP.

In addition to his wife Caroline, William is survived by five daughters, Patricia Shoemaker, MD of Allentown, Carolyn, wife of David Brown of Lancaster, Barbara, wife of Larry Imhoff of Lititz, Mary Ellen, wife of Jere Knosp of Brownstown and Nancy, wife of Douglas Pachucki, Esq. of Wind Lake, WI; one son, Thomas, husband of Meryl Schmidt Shoemaker of Mount Wolf; twelve grandchildren; three great-grandchildren and two nieces. His sister Jeanne Layendecker preceded William in death.

The Funeral will take place on Thursday, February 18th at 2 PM at the Charles F. Snyder Funeral Home, Inc., 441 N. George St., Millersville, PA, with The Rev. Daniel Mitzel officiating. A Viewing will take place on Thursday at the funeral home from 1-2 PM. Interment in St. Anthony's Catholic Cemetery. Please omit flowers. Contributions may be made in William's memory to St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 501 E. Orange St., Lancaster, PA 17602 or to St. Anne's Retirement Community, 3952 Columbia Ave., Columbia, PA 17512. To send the family online condolences please visit SnyderFuneralHome.com