Obituary of Frederick J. Willis

Frederick John Willis, age 87, went home to the Lord on December 18, 2017, after a short illness.  He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Julanne Stephens Willis, and his parents, Ernestine and Martin Willis; brothers Donald Willis, Herbert Willis, and sister Maxine (Howard) Garman. He is survived by two daughters and their husbands: Ondra and Robby Murray of Owego, NY; Anitra and Jim Murphy of Whitney Point, NY; five grandchildren: Stephanie (Peter) Raimondi, Chelsie (Jamie) Savage, Jennifer (Jeffrey) Marvin, Timothy Murphy, and Samantha Goss; brother-in-law Duane (Marilyn) Stephens of Minetto; many nieces and nephews, as well as great grandchildren Forest, Luna and Teagan Savage; Giuliana and Emilia Raimondi. Fred grew up in Wellsville, NY and was a graduate of Wellsville Central School. He served with the U.S. Army during the Korean War, and graduated from Alfred State. He worked as an Electrical Engineer at the University of Rochester and for Tektronix and Digital Equipment Corporation. After their retirement, Fred and Julanne traveled with friends and split their time between Bloomfield, NY and Davie, FL. They kept in touch with Machiko Kumabe, the family's 1971 AFS exchange student from Japan who was a lifelong friend /daughter. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Minetto United Methodist Church, 2433 County Route 8, Oswego, NY 13126 or to the charity of one's choice. The family would like to extend special thanks to the Cameo Court staff at Good Shepherd Fairview Home in Binghamton, NY for the compassionate care that he received.