WILLIAM E. DAISLEY, JR., LT, USN
William Daisley, Jr. '88
Lucky Bag
From the 1988 Lucky Bag:
William Earl Daisley
Coudersport, Pennsylvania
Wild Bill left quite a track record during his stay here at Canoe U. Intent on becoming a pilot, he would let nothing obstruct his path — not even a mailbox! Bill kept a good head about him, whether he was conducting air ops off Mike's rooftop, moshin to thrash, or rockin in the stadium parking lot, St. John's by the river, and even in the Hall. A true lady's man, Bill knew how to treat them right. If he wasn't pounding with P he was pushing champagne on C, or mauling M. He always did like giant jugs and hugs, but I don't know if anything could compare to his passion for sugar fixes. Fortunately, his voracious appetite for food and drink was offset with over 800 outer perimeters. From Annapolis Jacuzzis to Anne Arundel General, and from the halls of Goucher to the shores of Pensacola, Wild Bill Daisley leaves his mark. MEF
William Earl Daisley
Coudersport, Pennsylvania
Wild Bill left quite a track record during his stay here at Canoe U. Intent on becoming a pilot, he would let nothing obstruct his path — not even a mailbox! Bill kept a good head about him, whether he was conducting air ops off Mike's rooftop, moshin to thrash, or rockin in the stadium parking lot, St. John's by the river, and even in the Hall. A true lady's man, Bill knew how to treat them right. If he wasn't pounding with P he was pushing champagne on C, or mauling M. He always did like giant jugs and hugs, but I don't know if anything could compare to his passion for sugar fixes. Fortunately, his voracious appetite for food and drink was offset with over 800 outer perimeters. From Annapolis Jacuzzis to Anne Arundel General, and from the halls of Goucher to the shores of Pensacola, Wild Bill Daisley leaves his mark. MEF
Loss
William was lost on March 15, 1993 when the F-14B he was piloting for Fighter Squadron (VF) 101 took off from NAS Oceana and crashed in the Atlantic Ocean, 20 miles east of Nags Head, NC. The radar intercept officer was also killed.
Contemporary reports indicate they were flying a 2-hour training exercise but did not report any problems during the flight.
Photographs
Obituary
From Find A Grave:
Coudersport’s Toles Hollow Road bridge over the Allegheny River has been named the Lt. William E. Daisley Jr. Memorial Bridge, following an act of the Pa. General Assembly.
Daisley was an outstanding scholar, role model and athlete at Coudersport Area High School. He graduated with high honors from the U.S. Naval Academy.
In March 1993, he was taking part in a training exercise off the coast of North Carolina, and his F-14B Tomcat fighter plane never returned. The wreckage was discovered later that day about 20 miles east of Nags Head, but his remains were not recovered. LCDR Fred D. Dillingham also perished in the crash.
There are several pictures of the bridge naming ceremony, held in October 2015. From Facebook:
Lt. William E. Daisley Jr. lost his life during a military training exercise more than 20 years ago. William Daisley was an outstanding scholar, role model and athlete at Coudersport Area High School who graduated with high honors from the U.S. Naval Academy. The bridge on Toles Hollow Road over the Allegheny River has been designated in his honor.
From the Star-Gazette of Elmira, NY on March 26, 1993:
Lt. William E. Daisley Jr. held a passion for flying ever since he was in junior high school.
His love affair with planes inspired him, when he was in eighth grade, to build and fly a radio-controlled plane.
"That's how he got started in aviation," said his father, Bill Daisley of Port Allegany.
Lt. Daisley was declared dead by the Navy after his F-14 Tomcat fighter jet went down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Nags Head, N.C., on March 15. His body has not been found, authorities said.
A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday in St. Eulalia Catholic Church. The service will include military rites by the Potter County Honor Guard and members of VA-34 Naval Squadron from Oceana, Va., where Lt. Daisley was stationed.
Lt. Daisley was born Feb. 22, 1966, in Spangler, Pa., and moved to Coudersport with his family when he was 6 months old. He attended public schools, excelled in both academics and athletics.
He graduated as valedictorian from Coudersport High School in 1984 and earned an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. After graduating in the top 10 percent of the academy class in 1988, he attended flight schools in Pensacola, Fla., and Meridian, Miss., before receiving his pilot's wings in 1990.
"He was the type of young man everyone hopes they have for a son," said Lewis Schaub, his high school principal. "He was very humble and never gloated over the fact that he DAISLEY won so many awards and was so good academically and athletically."
Lt. Daisley competed in football, wrestling and track and won the Davies-Foy Scholar Athlete Award from the Olean Times Herald.
"Everyone who knew him knew he was a leader and someone special," Schaub said.
Military services for Lt. Daisley were conducted Tuesday in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd at Oceana Naval Base.
"It was a difficult day, but wonderful too, because of the honors given him, and the planes that conducted a fly-over in his honor," said his mother, Judy Daisley of Coudersport.
Although Lt. Daisley hadn't lived in Coudersport for a while, many in the community say they will never forget his friendliness and upbeat demeanor.
"To know Billy was to love (him). He was a friend whose fun-loving attitude touched all who knew him," said Kathy Fox of Coudersport, a friend.
A Lt. William E. Daisley Jr. Memorial Scholarship Fund is being set up, with donations accepted through Commonwealth Bank here. The fund will provide scholarships to high school students who achieve academic excellence, Judy Daisley said.
Lt. Daisley also is survived by a sister, Brenda Whitman, and two brothers, Dax and Dana, all of Coudersport; his paternal grandparents, Wilda Houston and William Daisley, both of Spangler; three nephews and one niece; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.
He was from Port Allegany, PA.
Career
William flew for four months in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm from an unspecified aircraft carrier.
Memorials
The Airfest ’93 air show was dedicated to William's memory.
Remembrances
From Facebook:
My husband went through flight training with Bill, and he was a great friend of ours. Karen Klein Herbst
I served with Mr. Daisley and remember him every March 15th. He was a great guy. Craig Stuart
My wife had Bill as a student at CHS. She remembers him as the best and the brightest. Rick Lindhome
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
