Harold "Hal" Duane Willard

1931 - 1968  (36 years)

• Name	Harold "Hal" Duane Willard  [1, 2, 3]
  Nickname	Hal
  Born	21 Nov 1931	Caseville, Huron County, Michigan   [1, 3]
  Gender	Male
  Died	21 Oct 1968	Port Huron, St. Clair County, Michigan   [1, 3]
  Notes	Volume 20 of the STRIFFLER-BENKELMAN BROADCAST, dated September 2, 1957, reported that Harold D. Willard was graduated from Wayne State University on January 25, 1957, with a B.S. Degree in Education. He had continued at the University doing his graduate work, and was going to be an instructor at the University in 1958-1959. Cass City Chronicle Thursday, October 24, 1968 Last Rites today for Hal Willard Funeral services for Harold D. "Hal" Willard, 36, who succumbed Monday from heart disease will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. at Smith Funeral Home in Port Huron. Willard is a former resident of Cass City and was a star athlete at Cass City High School where he played end in football and was a member of the basketball team. Although still a young man, Willard had achieved athletic prominence and was widely known across Michigan. He was a quarterback at Wayne State in 1954-55-56 and later served as coach and on the faculty at Wayne for 10 years. He left WSU because of sports de-emphasis to become head football coach at Port Huron High School for two years. He was appointed athletic director by Port Huron Board of Education in July 1967, the post he held at the time of his death. Willard was the fourth member of his family to die of heart disease at a comparatively young age. Friends and associates have established a scholarship fund for the education of two children in the family and contributions in memory of Willard may be sent to Dr. Gerald S. DeGrow, superintendant of Schools, Port Huron. Willard had received his BS and Master's degree from WSU and did post-graduate work at the University of Michigan. He was a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa, a national honor fraternity. His wife is the former Joyce Fry of Cass City, who lives with their two children, Mark and Julie Ann, at 5294 Locustwood Ave, Port Huron. Also surviving are two brothers, Harvey Willard and Louis Williard, both of Milford. Burial will be in a Port Huron cemetery. (Transcribed by Melinda McLemore Strong, June 2012)
  Person ID	I21223	Strong Family Tree
  Last Modified	17 Aug 2014

  
  

  Family	Florence Joyce Fry,   b. 29 Feb 1932, San Luis Obispo, San Luis Obispo County, California ,   d. 24 May 2014, Marysville, St. Clair County, Michigan  (Age 82 years)
  Married	27 Jun 1953	Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan   [1, 2, 4]
  	The STRIFFLER-BENKELMAN BROADCAST, Volume 16, dated September 7, 1953, reported that Joyce Fry and Harold Willard were married in June, with their home to be Highland Park. Cass City Chronicle Thursday, July 2, 1958 Page Four Willard-Fry Rites Told In Cass City Miss Jessie Fry preceded her sister down the aisle Saturday night at Mrs. R. Joyce Fry became the bride of Harold D. Willard, all of Cass City, in a candlelight service in the Evangelical United Brethren Church. Wearing a cocktail length gown with a lace bodice over satin falling into the orion overskirt resting on Satin, Miss Fry spoke her vows in front of the Rev. S. R. Wurtz. Her maid of honor wore a cocktail length gown of blue tissue silk and a crown of blue carnations. Her bouquet was also of blue carnations. Gerald Prieskorn was the best man. Miss Fry is the daughter of Mrs. Wilma S. Fry of Cass City and the grom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. William J. Willard of Cass City. A reception immediately followed the ceremony in the church basement. The bridal couple both graduated from Cass City High School. The groom completed his studies in 1949 and the bride in 1950. Miss Fry graduated from the Gale Institute in Minneapollis. The groom served two years in the Air Force. The couple will reside in Detroit, where the groom will continue his studies at Wayne State University and the bride will continue working in the department of communications of the General Motors Corporation. Guests attending the wedding were from the Cass City area, Detroit, Grayling and Manistee.
  Children	1. Living   2. Living
  Last Modified	9 Jun 2012
  Family ID	F9834	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Born - 21 Nov 1931 - Caseville, Huron County, Michigan Married - 27 Jun 1953 - Cass City, Tuscola County, Michigan Died - 21 Oct 1968 - Port Huron, St. Clair County, Michigan  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Sources

  [S653] Cass City Chronicle, P.O. Box 115, Cass City, Michigan 48726, Published continously since 1899, archived from 1899 through 2005 at http://newspapers.rawson.lib.mi.us/chronicle/, Thursday, October 24, 1968 (Reliability: 3). [S653] Cass City Chronicle, P.O. Box 115, Cass City, Michigan 48726, Published continously since 1899, archived from 1899 through 2005 at http://newspapers.rawson.lib.mi.us/chronicle/, Thursday, July 2, 1958, Willard-Fry Rites Told In Cass City (Reliability: 3). [S1311] Staton, Donald and Burdsall, Fran Orr "Striffler Census" Prepared for the August 2012 Striffler/Zinnecker Reunion. [S595] Striffler-Benkelman Broadcast, (Family Publication, published sporadically to record family milestones in connection with the annual Striffler-Benkelman Family Reunions, with Vol. 1, Number 1, published Sept. 7, 1936. Issues on file at the Rawson Memorial Library in Cass City, Michigan include Vol. 5 (1941), Vol. 7 (1944) and Volumes 8 (1945) through Vol. 28 (1968). Issues published from 1961 through 1964 were not assigned volume numbers, and 1963 appears to be missing. Xeroxes of the existing issues were also made by Melinda McLemore Strong in 2007. According to a article published by the Cass City Chronicle on August 6, 1981, commemorating the Fiftieth and Final Striffler-Benkelman Reunion, the final issue of the STRIFFLER-BENKELMAN BROADCAST appears to have been Volume 28, published in 1968.), Volume 16, September 7, 1953. (Reliability: 3).