WILLIAM WILDERSON FUNERAL SERVICES EARLY THURSDAY

Funeral services were held Thursday morning for William A. Wilderson, a life-long Blair and Washington County resident who had died earlier this week.

He was born March 15, 1898 at Mondamin, Iowa, but had lived in Washington county since a young lad.

He was a carpenter by trade and his work took him to a number of places throughout the area.

During World War II he was employed as a civilian worker on Wake Island when the area was under attack. He was taken prisoner, along with military personnel and held for four years before being released.

He is survived by his wife, Edith, and by three daughters and eight grandchildren. The daughters are Mrs. Nancy Oltmans and Mrs. Jane Johnson, both of Omaha and Mrs. Bette Farrell, of Seattle, Washington.

Also surviving are five sisters and a brother. The sisters are Mrs. Margaret Ruf and Mrs. Marie Teeters, both of Omaha; Mrs. Jeanette Jackson and Mrs. Nellie Stewart, both of Blair; and Mrs. Marjorie Jones, of Bennington. A brother, Chester, resides in San Jose, California.

Funeral services were held at the Roeder Mortuary in Omaha Thursday morning and burial was made in the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Omaha.

Enterprise 20 Sept 1945

Relatives Learn B. Wilderson Safe

Mrs. George Jackson of this city received a card on September 15th from her brother, Bill Wilderson, who has been a prisoner of the Japs since the fall of wake Island, nearly four years ago. Bill was among the carpenters doing construction work there at that time.

Mr. Wilderson said in his message that he was in fair health and that food and housing were good. He also said that he hoped to be home safe and sound soon. No further details were given.

During his four years of imprisonment, relatives have received only three messages from Bill. Mrs. Jackson has received two cards and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wilderson, at Kennard, have received a letter.

Pilot Tribune 27 Sept 1945

Bill Wildersen Liberated form Japanese

Civilian Carpenter On Wake Island When It Fell To Japs

Mr. and Mrs. Charles Wilderson of Kennard, learned through a telegram from the War Department Monday night that their son, William A. Wilderson, who was a civilian carpenter on Wake Island at the time it fell to the Japanese on December 24, 1941, had been liberated from a concentration camp on the Honchua Islands. On Tuesday, they received the following message direct from William: “Feeling fine, expect to be home soon.”

This was the first direct message they had had from him in nearly four years, receiving only three prisoner of war cards during his imprisonment. The last hey heard of his whereabouts was the latter part of July, when they learned through the Red Cross that he was a prisoner at Honshua.

William is a brother of Mrs. Jay Stewart of Kennard and Mrs. George Jackson of Blair.

Note: He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Omaha, Plot: 10, 145, 7. Find a Grave # 73060240. Date of interment Oct. 5, 1972. The date of interment is the date used for the death date since it was not given.