William Craig "Bill" Barron

William C. Barron, 88, of Worton, Maryland, died peacefully Sunday, July 12, 2026. Born in Mansfield, Ohio in 1937, Bill was the son of Betty Barron, a medical secretary and John A. Barron, A newspaper business manager. As a toddler, he moved to Battle Creek, MI where he attended public schools, graduating from BCHS in 1955. He then headed east to attend the US Merchant Marine Academy, better known as Kings Point, located in Great Neck, NY on Long Island and graduating in 1959 with an engineering degree, a commission as Ensign in the US Navy and a license as an engineer in the US Merchant Marine. He regarded those four years at the Academy as transformative, growing in every way and developing strong bonds with classmates that lasted to this day; he remained very active in alumni activities including 5-year reunions, min-reunions and serving as a class news agent for the past several years. Upon graduation, Bill, like the rest of his class, reported for duty in the US Navy, serving first as Engineering Officer on the USS Lakeland (LSM-373) in the Caribbean, then later as an assistant repair officer on the Vulcan (AR-5) in Norfolk, VA. Following naval service, Bill’s plan to sail in the maritime was interrupted by love and reluctance to be away from his forever sweetheart, Alice Marie McMullan of Bayside, NY. Instead, he worked briefly in NYC as a sales engineer for Spaulding Fiber, then married Alice Marie and moved to New England where he held a series of positions; first as a project engineer with Peabody Engineering Corp, living in Danbury, CT where the young couple had their first child, Robert. Moving deeper into New England, he worked as an Advanced Performance Engineer at Pratt & Whitney in East Hartford, CT, living in nearby Manchester. Here they had their second child Sarah (Sally). The Final move was to GE Aircraft Engines in Lynn, MA in 1965 where he would his calling and served 35 years in steadily higher roles as Propulsion Systems& Performance Engineer and manager. He had roles in the development and FAA certification of several GE turbofan and helicopter engines with applications on such diverse programs as the Sikorsky CH-53 “Sea Stallion” helicopter, the Dassault Falcon Bizjet and Fairchild-Republic’s A-10 fighter and the B2 Stealth Bomber. He also helped design a snow melting machine used on the streets of New York today. Bill also earned his graduate degree in engineering during this period, graduating from Northeastern U. in 1969. During GE years, the family of four resided in Byfield, MA, a very small hamlet on Cape Ann. Here, they made a real “home”, raised their children and became involved in a host of new activities. To meet the needs of the new home, Bill began a lifelong interest in woodworking, establishing a shop, soon building kitchen cabinets and graduating to period furniture reproduction with cabriole legs and shell carvings. Bill learned to ski, took up mountain-climbing, golf, coached Learn to Skate and played ice hockey in several leagues with his son for many years. At age 50, he took up speed-skating and, while not very competitive, loved the sport. Bill was also an avid swimmer. Without fail, three mornings a week, he could be found swimming at least 30 laps at the local fitness pool at the age of 88. All of his activities, however, none roused his passion like bicycle racing. From the 60’s until he retired in ’99, he was involved in the sport still racing at age 60 at a master’s level. He was proud of his first-place medal at the Bow, New Hampshire bike race and took 2nd place in the New England Old Newbury Time Trails. He completed two 100 mile Century Rides, and his longest bike ride took him from Bayside, New York to Boston. Every July he was glued to the TV to watch the Tour De France. Almost equal to his passion for cycling was his love of choral music; starting about 1989 as a baritone in a church choir. He soon added two community choruses, The Newburyport Choral Society and Cantemus to his musical avocation. Retirement took Bill and Alice Marie to the Eastern Shore of Maryland in order to be closer to their granddaughters, Shaelyn, Bridget and Leah in Ellicott City, Maryland. He was very active in the girls’ lives, watching them grow up, thoroughly enjoying every dance recital, school play, science fair and field hockey game. While living in Chestertown he continued cycling on a recreational/ exercise level and, no surprise, joined the local community chorus as well as the Pro Cantare singing group in Columbia, MD. A few years ago, he finally tired of the grueling nighttime drive across the Bay Bridge for Pro Cantare rehearsals and limited his singing to his local Chester River Chorale and its subgroup, River Voices. Bill cherished his neighborhood in Kinnaird’s Point on the Chesapeake Bay and took an active role in community affairs, including service as HOA treasurer for several years until his death. Until the pandemic, he enjoyed world travel, visiting forty-five states and nearly thirty countries on five continents, mostly with Alice Marie as his companion and love of his life for 65 years. He will be remembered as a loving husband, father and grandfather as well as a good friend and neighbor who was thankful for all the years he was given and all the friendships he valued. Bill is survived by Alice Marie, his loving wife of 65 years, his son Robert, daughter Sally and her husband John, His sister Susan (JB) and his endlessly supportive brother-in-law Bill McMullan. He was cherished by his loving granddaughters; Shaelyn (Maddie), Bridget (Melissa) and Leah as well as favored cousin Jan (Jim). A celebration of life will be held August 15, 2026, at The Presbyterian Church of Chestertown at 10am. The Church is located at 905 Gateway Drive Chestertown, MD 21620. Gifts in Memory: To Contribute to the memory of Bill Barron, you are invited to support: -USMMA Alumni Ass. And Foundation (United States Merchant Marine Academy) 300 Steamboat Rd. Kings Point, NY 11024 (www.usmmaalumni.com) -Presbyterian Church of Chestertown; (www.presbyterianchestertown.org) -The Chester River Chorale; (www.chesterriverchorale.org)

William Craig "Bill" Barron

November 12, 1937 - July 12, 2026