Willis Lloyd Black

2023-04-10T16:25:59-05:00
Navy Badge
  • Name: Willis Lloyd Black
  • Location of Birth: Grand Rapids, Minnesota
  • Date of Birth: April 14, 1923
  • Date of Death: January 24, 1993 (69 years old)
  • Parents: Elias Black & Violet (Lighthizer) Black
  • High School and Class: 1942 Greenway High School, Coleraine, Minnesota
  • College:
  • Highest Rank: Radioman 3rd Class Petty Officer (RM3)
  • Branch: Navy
  • Other Branch:
  • Date Sworn In: December 22, 1942
  • Place Sworn In:
  • Date of Discharge: February 17, 1946
  • Place of Discharge:
  • Military Awards:

  • Military Highlights:
    WW II Draft Registration Cards – 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947
    State: Minnesota
    Name: Willis Lloyd Black
    Race: White
    Age: 19
    Birth Date: April 14, 1923
    Birth Place: Grand Rapids, Minnesota, USA
    Residence Place: Grand Rapids, Itasca, Minnesota, USA
    Registration Date: June 30, 1942
    Employer: Unemployed
    Weight: 135
    Height: 5-8
    Complexion: Light
    Eye Color: Brown
    Hair Color: Brown
    Next of Kin: Elias Black, Grand Rapids, Minnesota

  • Wars Involved:
    World War II

  • MIA / POW:

  • Civilian Life:
    Willis Black worked as an electrician for the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, retiring in 1986. He was a member of the Itasca Rock & Gem Club and the First Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Grand Rapids, Minnesota.

    Willis Black died in Grand Rapids, Minnesota and is buried in Itasca Calvary Cemetery, Grand Rapids, MN (plot C-C-13-1-2). He is survived by his wife, Virginia; two daughters, Rosemary MacFarlane and Carolyn Grant; two sons, Willis (Will) and Bob; one step-son, Joseph Haverland; three step-daughters, Amy Haverland, Jean Haverland, and Mary Ann Haverland; one brother, Donald; three sisters, Audrey Porter, Betty Knight, and Olivemae Gebhart; six grandchildren and two step-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his first wife Dolly, in 1988; his parents; and one sister.

  • Tribal Affiliation(s):