William Wilbur Wallace was born October 24th, 1930 to Dan and Dorothy Wallace in a farmhouse residence in what is now known as Black Moshannon State Park. He spent his childhood there with his 6 siblings, Sarah Jane, Kathryn, June, Paul, Jimmy, and Ethel.

William hunted game with his father as a young boy and took up various homestead skills. At the age of 13, he contributed to the construction of the Black Moshannon school house and worked in the coal mines.

After seeing many fall ill from working in the mines, he set his sights on joining the Marines during the Korean War. His military service took him around the world, while supporting top military officials . After completing his service in the Marines as a Corporal, William returned to Pennsylvania and married Patsy Wisor in 1956.

William and Patsy moved to Chicago, where William played a key role in developing the O’Hare Airfield and managed the manufacturing of Boeing airplane motors for American Airlines.

On October 24th 1961, Patsy and William welcomed their only son Greg Scott Wallace into the world. When Greg was a young child, they moved to Tempe, Arizona where William taught classes on turbo engines. At the Food Machinery Company(FMC) in San Jose, William oversaw the production of loaders for airlines. FMC later transferred him to Orlando to run their eastern division.

After 30 years of innovative service to the airline industry, William and Greg started a specialty Volkswagen business: The Bug Hut. It became the largest specialty Volkswagen shop in central Florida, gaining national recognition through car shows, truck shows, and many other community-centered events.

In the 1990’s, William and Patsy became loving grandparents to Cameron & Avery Wallace, their only grandchildren. He and Patsy routinely cared for the children, taking them to nature parks and theme parks, and felt it was important to educate them about the history of Florida. During this time, William continued to enjoy fishing, customizing cars and trucks, watching football and NASCAR, and, most importantly, spending time with his wife and family.

A devout Christian, every single day William read the Bible and prayed. He attended Conway Baptist church for more than 20 years.

After 57 beautiful years of marriage, his wife Patsy Wallace passed away in 2014 at the age of 76. William relocated to Lake City, Florida, to be closer to his son and grandchildren. He stayed involved in his grandkids' lives as they grew through high school, college, and beyond.

William passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on Grandparents Day, September 13th 2026. He continued to be a firm pillar of support until his final days and will always be remembered as a selfless, kind, loving, and humble beacon to all who knew him.

He is survived by his son, Greg; daughter-in-law, Deborah; grandsons, Cameron (fiancée Claire Dooley and great-granddaughter, Elle) and Avery; and sister, Katheryn Wallace of Pennsylvania.