William H. Shappley

William Harold Shappley, 88, of Fountain Hills, passed away March 20, 2013. He was born June 1, 1924 in Memphis, Tenn.

He enlisted in the Navy in 1943 and served in the Pacific during WWII aboard the battleship USS Maryland. His ship survived two kamikaze attacks and one torpedo attack while he was aboard. He was honorably discharged in March, 1946.

He married Genevieve Welle in Bellflower, Calif. on Dec. 10, 1945. They lived in Memphis for 10 years. In 1956-57 he worked as a photographer for the Memphis newspaper The Commercial Appeal just when Elvis Presley was starting to become famous.

They returned to Long Beach, Calif. in 1957. He worked as an insurance adjuster for Commercial Credit/Control Data until his retirement in 1985. They moved to Fountain Hills in 1991.

Services were held on Monday, March 25, at Messinger Funeral Home, Fountain Hills. In lieu of flowers please make donations to Hospice of Arizona, 19820 N. 7th Avenue, suite 130, Phoenix, AZ 85027.