Former resident, Peace Corps executive,
World War II and Korean War veteran
Bill Warren (Courtesy photo)
William S. Warren Jr. a beloved husband, brother, father, grandfather, papa, bessen, and friend, left this world April 14, 2014, at the veterans home in Spokane, Wash. William (Bill) Warren Jr. was born to William S. Warren Sr. and Janet J. Warren (Blackburn) in Paterson, N.J., April 7, 1926.
Bill served his country in combat, including the Battle of the Bulge in World War II and the Korean War. He rarely talked about war, and from his experience, he became a life-long pacifist. Upon returning home, he graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y. and married the love of his life, Elizabeth “Jay” Warren (Lee) of Highland Falls, N.Y.
Bill’s early adult years included working as assistant dean at the Harvard Business School, a teacher at the Kincaid School in Houston, Texas, and at St. Paul’s School in Concord, N.H. In 1961, Bill and Jay welcomed their sixth child, Chris, who joined brothers and sisters Bill III, Lee, Carl, Jan, and Lynn. While working for Polaroid Corporation, Bill became aware of recruiting efforts for President Kennedy’s recently formed Peace Corps. Bill and Jay packed up their family for what was supposed to be a two-year stint in the Philippines. As director of the educational division, Bill traveled with his family throughout the Philippine Islands, including extended stays in Quezon City, Legaspi, and Zamboanga in the southern province of Mindanao.
After completing his assignment in the Philippines, Bill was asked to replace the director of the Nepalese Peace Corps, Willy Unsold, who suffered medical complications after becoming one of the first Americans to climb Mt. Everest. Instead of returning home, the eight members of the Warren family moved to Katmandu, Nepal, in 1963 for a nine-month stay, where friends and memories last until this day.
After a one-year stay in Sudbury, where baby Tara joined the family, the overseas bug hit again, sending the Warren family off for a three-year stay in East Africa, where Bill worked to develop math and science curricula for local schools. Summer conferences included trips to Entebbe, Uganda; Accra, Ghana; and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, but most of his work was in Nairobi, Kenya.
Returning to the U.S. in 1969, Bill became an elementary school principal in Lincoln, and then joined his wife Jay as a counselor at the FLLAC educational collaborative in central Massachusetts. In retirement, Bill volunteered with Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) as a court advocate for at-risk children.
Bill and Jay, along with the younger Warrens, moved to Bowers Road in Harvard in 1978. Lynn, Chris, and Tara graduated from the Bromfield School in ’78, ’80, and ’83, respectively. In 2007 they moved to Spokane, Wash., to be near the youngest of their 12 grandchildren. Bill and Jay were very active there in CASA as well as at the Parkinson Resource Center.
Bill’s family will carry forward the memories of his wonderful life.
At his request, there will be no formal service. His body will be donated to the Willed Body Program at Washington State University. Donations in Bill’s memory can be made to CASA Partners, P.O. Box 8158, Spokane, WA 99203. (509-462-2272 or casapartners.org).
