TheSwirl.org

Facts
Born: February 6, 1918
Place of Birth: Town of Broome, NY
Death: October 18, 2006
Place of Death: Residence
Occupation: Plumber & Pipe-fitter
Hobbies: Woodworking & crafts
Organizations: Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church, Colonial Heritage Association

Biography
Schoharie (Schoharie County): Mr. William Clifford Muller, 88, of Main Street, Schoharie, NY, died Wednesday, October 18th at his residence after a long illness.

Mr. Muller was born February 6, 1918 in the Town of Broome, NY, a son of Peter Nicholas and Martha (Gerhardt) Muller. He had resided on Main Street since 2002 and previously lived on State Route 30 in the Town of Schoharie in the house that he built in 1965.

He attended school at Jamaica Heights in Brooklyn and graduated from Middleburgh High School in 1936. He retired in 1982 from the Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Union Local #105 in Schenectady which later merged with Local #7 in Albany. He worked on such local projects as the Schoharie School, the Blenheim Pump Project, West Milton, SUNY at Cobleskill and Eden Park Nursing Home in Cobleskill. Prior to that, Mr. Muller was a dairy farmer in Howes Cave and on Warner Hill Road.

Clifford was a longtime member of the Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church in Central Bridge where he also served on the Church Council, serving at one time as its President. He was a member of the Schoharie 50-Plus Club and was a former volunteer with Scho-Wright Ambulance Service. He was also an active member of the Schoharie Colonial Heritage Association where he and his wife were the first to receive honorary memberships. He was an avid steam-engine and rail-road enthusiast and thus served on the railroad committee during the re-building and restoration of the Depot Lane railroad complex. His other interests included gardening, fishing, metalworking, and woodworking. He spent many hours hand crafting items in his workshop for family and friends.

Survivors include: his wife, Alice (Tryon) Muller, whom he married May 18, 1941. 4 Children: Jeanne (Lester) Hay, of Carlisle, Barbara (C. Joseph) Waring, of Delanson, James Richard (Kathryn) Muller, of Holland Patent, NY, and Robert William (Linda) Muller, of Delanson. Several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and nieces and nephew also survive. He was pre-deceased by two sisters; Ella Given and Helen Armlin.

A memorial service to celebrate the life of Mr. Muller will be held at 1:00 PM on Monday, October 23rd at the Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church, Church Street, Central Bridge. Rev. Steffen A. Zehrfuhs, Pastor, will officiate. Burial will follow in the Old Stone Fort Cemetery, Schoharie.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to Catskill Area Hospice, 327 W. Main St. Suite #3, Cobleskill, NY 12043; OR to Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church, PO Box 273, Central Bridge, NY 12035.

The Langan Funeral Home of Schoharie and Central Bridge is assisting the family with arrangements.

Burial: Mon, October 23, 2006 at 2:00 at Old Stone Fort Cemetery
Memorial Service: Mon, October 23, 2006 at 1:00 PM at Bethany Evangelical Lutheran Church

This past Sunday Kathryn made roast pork and scalloped potatoes and we took it to Schoharie to share with Mom & Dad.  After dinner and naps we carved a couple of pumpkins.  Here Dad watches as Eric cleans out his pumpkin.

We decided to wash our collection of winter hats, gloves & mittens on Saturday.  We took advantage of the sunny, breezy morning to dry them on the clothes line. A total of 17 hats and 63 gloves/mittens - not counting the hats that Eric and I were wearing nor the HD Winter Camping mittens I had stashed with the camping gear.  Think we have enough?

I didn’t get to fly today on the KC-135 / F-16 air to air refueling mission. The wet weather combined with the fact that longer runway was being resurfaced and prohibited the tanker from flying in from Niagara Falls and landing at Hancock Airport. This was the 1st time in eight years a boss lift had to be cancelled due to weather. In lieu of the flight we received several ground briefings:

• Equipment managers going over details of anti-G suit worn by the pilots, the survival vest and actual flight suit; roughly 40 lbs of gear.
• Flying the F-16 flight simulator
• Command post where the pre-flight briefing and center of all command and control activities

I met the Col Howard, commander of the 152nd Air Operations Group, where Michael, my sponsor, works. The Air Operations Center provides planning, direction, and control of assigned Air Forces. They direct activities of forces and monitor actions of both enemy and friendly forces. The 152nd augments the Air Operations Center at Ramstein Air Force Base, Germany, for the United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE). The 152nd AOG is recognized as a lead Air Reserve Component Air Operations Command (AOC) augmentation unit.

Col Howard extended an invitation to get an overview briefing of his AOC which was conducted by Air National Guard LtCol Butler, LtCol Murphy and Maj Fristchi which we accepted. It was nice seeing the operational side.

I am invited to return in May 2007 for a 2nd flight attempt.