Chief Warrant Officer II (retired) William Louis "Bill" Harber, age 91, answered reveille in Heaven on
Sunday, May 24.
Bill was born in Dyer County, Tennessee, and as a young boy, moved with his family to Rosemark,
Tennessee. He grew up working on a cotton farm with his five siblings, helping their parents, Balaam and
Lydia.
Bill joined the U.S. Navy in 1945, which sent him eight miles from home to Millington, Tennessee. To
"see the rest of the world," Bill enlisted in the Army in 1947. In the summer of 1950, while stationed at
Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Bill met the love of his life, Peggy Hill, one weekend at Carolina Beach. They
were married on September 16th.
In the Army, Bill served as a paratrooper with the 101st and 82nd Airborne divisions, and later in Military
Intelligence. As one of his crowning achievements, in 1964, at the "old" age of 35, Bill earned his green
beret and served in Vietnam with the 5th Special Forces Group. Over the course of his almost twentyeight years in the Army, Bill's assignments saw him stationed overseas in places such as Japan, Okinawa,
Vietnam (two, year-long tours of duty), and Berlin, Germany. Bill received numerous awards and
decorations during his career, which include the Master Parachute Badge, Combat Infantryman Badge,
Bronze Star, Vietnam Campaign and Service medals, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, and a National Defense
Service Medal.
Bill was honorably discharged from the Army in 1975, and he and Peggy returned to Memphis,
Tennessee. Bill completed his formal education by earning a Bachelor of Business Administration degree
from Memphis State University 1980. To show he still had "it," in 1983, while in his fifties, Bill completed
the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Basic Agent Training program in Quantico, Virginia, which
included a rigorous physical training component. In addition to a life-long love of learning, Bill enjoyed
reading poetry and literature. Ernest Hemingway and Alfred Lord Tennyson were among his favorite
writers. Bill was also an avid student of American and military history.
After their retirements, Bill and Peggy traveled extensively, and once traveled by train to the Pacific
Northwest to visit Bill's sister. They spent months on the road in their RV, which was Bill's pride and joy.
Their favorite locations to camp were the Carolinas, the Tampa Bay area, and Key West. They eventually
landed in Bradenton, Florida area, where they lived for twelve years before again returning to Memphis
to be near family and old friends.
Bill is survived by his wife of almost seventy years, Peggy, their daughter Billie (Randall), their sons Bruce
(Allison) and Mark (Cindy), Bill's sisters Michelle (James) and Nell, and grandson Ryan. Bill was preceded
in death by his parents, brothers Harrison and Jack, and sister Virginia.
A private service for the family, with military honors, will be held at Forest Hill Funeral Home – East.
Burial will follow at a later date at the West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, donations
may be made in William L. Harber's name to the Wounded Warrior Project.