William Leslie Klang

William Leslie Klang (Bill) was born on January 29, 1933 in Deadwood, South Dakota. The oldest of four children born to Leslie and Gleada Klang. As a child, Bill's father purchased a farm in western Oregon where they relocated and grew potatoes and alfalfa. In his teens, Bill's father sold the farm and moved the family to Portland, Oregon. At the age of 17 Bill enlisted in the United States Air Force, became a Flight Engineer and accrued over 12,000 flight hours aboard planes such as the C-97 Stratofreighter, C-124 Globemaster, C-141 Starlifter, C-130 Hercules, and the C-5A Galaxy. Bill served one tour in Vietnam as Loadmaster on the C-7A Caribou. Bill ultimately spent 30 years in the Air Force and achieved the rank of Chief Master Sargent E-9. After his Air Force retirement, Bill worked as a Logistics Engineer at Lockheed Martin Aircraft Company in Marietta, Georgia for 12 years. In 1952 Bill met his wife of 62 years, Mary Nell Rogers, while stationed in Roswell, New Mexico. They had four boys; Michael, Gregory, Jeffery, and David. Bill and Mary also have four grandchildren and five great grandchildren. He is survived by two of his sons; Greg of Marietta and Jeff of Roswell, Georgia and his sister Judy Graydon of Tucson, Arizona.