William P Chin's Obituary
William Pon Chin was born on June 19, 1922 and passed away peacefully on Wednesday March 27, 2013. His early years were spent in Boston, and later his family moved to New York where he graduated from Stuyvesant High School. Afterwards he moved with his family to Oakland, where he found work at the Mare Island shipyard. During World War II he served in the Army Air Corps and was a member of the 381st Bomb Group. Stationed at Ridgewell, England, he was a radio operator and gunner, flying 30 missions on a B-17 aircraft over occupied Europe. The members of his crew all remarked on his bravery under fire and he was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross. Leaving the army as a Tech Sergeant, he married his wife of nearly 70 years, Jennie. Residing in Berkeley, he worked for the Naval Supply Center, Veterans Administration, and finally the U.S. Social Security Administration. He enjoyed sports, reading and travelling throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. He was a loving husband and father and is survived by wife Jennie, daughters Sandra Burghardt (Douglas), Deborah Rokeach (Martin) and Barbara Rice (Earl), grandchildren Adrienne Barnes (Marcus), Andrea Rokeach, Daniel Rokeach (Rhea) and Jessica Rice, great-grandchildren Bryson, Anaya and Corey and siblings Warren, Helen, Jean and Walter. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations to a non-profit charity of your choice.
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