William Briles

DERBY – Briles, William “Bill”, 80, passed away suddenly Monday, November 12, 2012. Visitation 1-8pm Friday, November 16, with family present 4-6pm; funeral service 10am Saturday, November 17, both at Smith Mortuary, 1415 N. Rock Road, Derby. Interment to follow at Hillcrest Cemetery, Derby, KS. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ezekiel and Gertrude (Smith) Briles, and his brother Donald. A beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother, Bill was born June 15, 1932 in Buffalo, Kansas. He graduated from Kansas State University in 1959 with degrees in Electrical Engineering and Business Administration. Bill served his country honorably in the US ARMY during the Korean War. Bill retired from Boeing Military Aircraft a Technical Fellow Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) Engineer contributing to various Military and Defense programs over his 20+year career. A love of electronics and radio introduced Bill to amateur “Ham” radio at the age of 16, and the hobby became a lifelong passion. He was always ready to help, teach and learn, and both friends and family fondly listened for his call sign – W0OQC. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Virginia Lee (Van Cleave) Briles; sister, Louis Briles of Tucson Arizona; son, Mark and wife Gina; grandsons, Jake and Justin of Derby, KS; son, Scott and wife Carolyn; grandsons Conrad and Chase of Leesburg, Virginia. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association, 3816 Paysphere Circle Chicago, IL 60674.