William Henry Oetjen III, of Madison, passed away Wednesday morning, August 8, 2018 at the age of 84. He was born in Augusta, Georgia on Febuary 3, 1934 to Euginia Conlon Oetjen and William Henry Oetjen Jr.
Bill retired from Thiokol, Huntsville Division, with 30 years of service as a Sr. Principal Engineer / Scientist. He was an expert in the field of micromeretics and chaired a committee on “Ultrafine Ammonium Perchlorate” for JANNAF (Joint Army Navy NASA Air Force) in the early 1970s. He gave back to the community of Madison in retirement through the Optimist Club, and in his early life (1965 – 1975) as a baseball and basketball coach for many of the local youth. He loved golfing and more than that, relaxing at the beach in Gulf Shores.
Survivors include his wife of 59 years, Betty “BeBe” Banks Jarrell Oetjen; his children, David and Wendy Oetjen, Beth and Kraig Pendleton, and Ellen and Billy Gibbons; and grandchildren, Kyle, Nick and Blake Pendleton.
Visitation will be 10 a.m. to 12 noon Monday, August 13th at Laughlin Service Funeral Home. A graveside service will follow at 1 p.m. at Madison City Cemetery, Madison, Alabama.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.
