In loving memory of
William Gaitley Wallace II

• December 19, 1941
• -
• February 25, 2022

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William Gaitley Wallace II, a resident of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, went home to Jesus on February 25, 2022. He went peacefully in his sleep with his beautiful wife and two of his daughters, Lisa and Kelly, by his side.

Bill was a family man and leaves behind his wife (Brenda), his five children (Lisa, Micki, Kelly, Justin and Jill), his brother (Michael), 24 grandchildren (Ashley, Christopher, Sarah, Blake, Daryn, Savannah, Cameron, Brennan, Matti, Chase, Lily, Paxton, Jamison, Lawson, Cannon, Lucy, Jace, Slade, Ruby, Cruise, Nelle, Jacob, Emily and Julia) and 5 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Diane Wallace.

Bill was born December 19, 1941, in Hartsville, South Carolina, to William Gaitley Wallace and Ann Pennington Wallace. Bill, raised in a small town and surrounded by family, grew into an adult with a lifetime of strong Christian beliefs, family values, and patriotism. In his youth, Bill was a newspaper boy and rode his bike all over town. He’d go to the park and join in ‘pick-up’ baseball games with friends. Bill became a believer in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior as a young boy while attending First Baptist Church of Florence, South Carolina. He attended church on Sunday mornings where the pastor was never afraid to tell Bill and his friends, “quiet down up there in the balcony”. Bill graduated from McClenaghan High School in 1960.

At the age of 18, Bill joined the Air Force. After completing basic training in Biloxi, Mississippi, he spent most of his time stationed at Walker Air Force Base in Roswell, New Mexico, as an Electronics Warfare Engineer. After his time in the service, Bill attended the University of South Carolina and received a degree in Electrical Engineering and a second degree in Computer Science.

After college, he worked as a draftsman; later to work for Amdahl and EMC Corporations. During his years as a systems engineer, he traveled extensively to countries such as Brazil, Chile, Peru, Mexico, France, Spain, Austria and Germany. He even had the opportunity to live in Switzerland for a while to open a corporate office in Zurich. Bill was at the forefront of computer technology and spent 40 years as a systems engineer pioneering the development of the information age. Bill was working in the industry when computers filled an entire room. If only he knew then that his future descendants could almost fill an entire arena!

Bill was happiest when everyone was together… whether it was celebrating a birthday, spending time at the beach, going out for Taco Tuesday, watching a Hallmark movie while sitting on the sofa (popcorn always included), making his famous spaghetti sauce, shopping with the girls, spending time together on Thanksgiving and Christmas, dining at Boston’s Fish House, or just spending time with family. Even though Bill had many grandchildren, he made each one feel like they were his favorite. He’d greet each grandchild as, “My favorite grandchild named _______”. As an avid fan of the University of South Carolina, he would teach them to say, “Go Gamecocks!” paired with a high five.

Bill loved us unconditionally just like his Heavenly Father; we never had to ‘earn’ his love – he just gave it completely. He had the gift of hospitality and was happiest when the house was full of people so he could cook for all of them. He was very generous and wiling to serve others. He especially enjoying bringing a home cooked meal to those in need.

Funeral services will be held at Space Coast Baptist Church (223 N Samsula Drive, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168) on Monday, March 14, 2022. The viewing will begin at 11:00 AM followed by the service at 12:00 PM. After the service, the burial with military honors will take place at the Cape Canaveral National Cemetery (5525 US-1, Mims, Florida 32754) at 2:30 PM.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Under the Stars Missions (1111 South Orange Street, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, 32168).  Bill volunteered with this non-profit organization to serve hot meals to the homeless.