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William "Ken" Officer was born August 29, 1932 in Los Lunas, New Mexico and passed away September 16, 2007 in Albuquerque. He was delivered by his Grandfather, Dr. William Frederick Wittwer. Ken spent his childhood making rounds with his Grandfather to patients, often on horseback when patients frequently paid with chickens and tortillas. He graduated from high school at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, the University of New Mexico with a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering, and a Masters in Engineering Management from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He married Beverly Lila Woolfall June 5, 1954 and was commissioned as a pilot in the United States Air Force. During his 28 year career, he was stationed at over 15 bases. He flew B-66 bombers in England and France, carrying nuclear weapons in the Cuban Missile Crisis. Colonel Officer retired in 1982 from the United States Air Force as a Command Pilot with over 5,000 hours of flying time in various aircraft, including 628 combat hours. His military decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Legion of Merit, Presidential Unit Citation, and the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters. The love of his family and country were the most important things to Ken. He enjoyed gardening, swimming, traveling, and fishing in the Box at Corkins in Chama. He is survived by his wife, Bev of Albuquerque; daughter, Karen Officer of Jerusalem, Israel, daughter, Paula Petry of Gillette, Wyoming; son, Ted Officer of Atlanta, Georgia, and his brother, John "Butch" Allen of California. He has five grandsons and his devoted dog Duffy. A memorial service with military honors celebrating his life will be held Thursday September 20, 2007 at 4:00 p.m. in Gardener Ken's back yard, his heaven on earth. Donations in his honor may be made to the Sarcoma Foundation of America P.O. Box 458 Damascus, MD 20872.
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