William (Bill) Chiever Lewis Nazworth was born to James Thomas Nazworth and Ann Mary Blackburn Nazworth on January 24, 1918 in Wakulla County, Chaires, Florida. His father, James Thomas had about 12 children with his first wife (6 died) Then he had 7 children, including my father from his second wife, my grandmother, Mary Blackburn.

His siblings were named
George Washington Nazworth, Theodore Roosevelt Nazworth, Walter Taft Nazworth, Albert Warren (Tiny) Nazworth, Janie Nazworth, Pearlie (Shug) Branch), Carlton Nazworth. George was from a previous relationship, but was considered brother. A half brother was born after Mary left her husband and children. His name was Marcus (Red) Nazworth and my father was very close to him.

My father married Virginia Kathryn Solo January 21, 1945 and they had 5 children: Kathleen Nazworth Cluck, Barbara Nazworth (myself), Donna Louise Nazworth Gorschboth, William Lewis Nazworth Jr. and Gerard Thomas Nazworth.

He served in the Marine Corps for 30 years and retired in 1969 as a Sgt. Major. He saw action at New Georgia in the Solomon Islands Pacific campaign during WWII and served two tours in the Vietnam War. He retired in Fontana, California until his death in 1999. He is survivied by his wife Virginia, 5 children, 9 grandchildren and 11 great grandchildren.

My father had a great sense of humor and loved giving people nicknames and reading the encyclopedia. We fondly remember listening to his stories as children. He would recount his days in Vietnam or the South Pacific and the funny gags he would pull on his friends. He had common sense and a great passion for life, politics or religion and as we got older those were some heated debates. Dad also was an avid reader of the encyclopedia and would love to share interesting facts with us at the oddest moments. His timing wasn't always the best and he'd interrupt the best part of a movie or whodunit to give us his new fact or word of the day.

When he was a young boy, his mother left the family and the family was broken up. My father and his brother Carlton were sent to live with their father's first family in Georgia and a year later he and his brother were taken to a farm owned by a man he called Old Man Fountain. They were told they were going to now live there and work the farm for this man. DAD said they rarely got to go to school and mostly had to work the farm. Eventually when they turned 10 or 11, they walked from Georgia to Middle Florida to find their mother. They lived with her until they signed up to work the CCC camps and then both boys joined the Marine Corps and attained the rank of Sgt. Major. My father had only attained a 6th grade education, but eventually through the Marine Corps he attained his GED and was accepted to college. The Marine Corps was his life, but so was my mom whom he loved with all his heart. He stood by her in very rough times. Dad had a sense of responsibility and loyalty that led his family well through those hard times. Mom and DAD were married 55 years until DAD eventually died from complications from Pneumonia. He had Parkinsons and Alzheimers and was well taken care of until his death by my mother. She stood by her man as he had stood by her.

Internment was with full military honors.

Military Information: SGTMAJ, US MARINE CORPS