Walter Charles Fili Jr., 79

DOVER - Walter Charles Fili Jr., died in his home Wednesday, July 8, 2009, of pancreatic cancer. He was 79. Born in Philadelphia, Pa., he was the son of the late Walter C. Sr. and Margaret Coer Fili. Mr. Fili enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at the end of World War II. A veteran of the Korean War and Vietnam War, Mr. Fili served in the Strategic Air Command and the Military Air Transport Service. During the Vietnam War he flew C-133 cargo aircraft into Saigon, and when his family would ask if he would be home for Christmas, he would reply, "I'll put that thing together with chewing gum and baling wire" if he had to, and he never missed a Christmas. Mr. Fili and Gloria Brancato were married March 11, 1953, in Lockport, N.Y. They lived in Albany, Ga., and at McGuire Air Force Base in N.J. before moving to Dover in 1958. Mr. Fili managed the mortuary at Dover Air Force Base after retiring from military service in 1968 as a flight engineer and flight examiner. Mr. Fili received his bachelor's degree in psychology in 1973 at Delaware State College, taking a position at Kent County Counseling Services, where he helped many people with drug and alcohol abuse problems. He retired from the counseling service in 2005. He was a longtime member of The Presbyterian Church of Dover, where he was an ordained elder. He also was an avid golfer. In addition to his wife, Mr. Fili is survived by two daughters, Karen Sullivan of St. Peters, Mo., and Tracey Lundblad of Dover; six grandchildren; and brothers, Robert Harold of Florida and Ellis Edward of Virginia. Celebration of Life Service will be 2 p.m. Monday, July 13 in The Presbyterian Church of Dover, 54 S. State Street, Dover. Military Honors will be 10 a.m. Monday, July 13 at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Millsboro. A gathering of family and friends will be from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday at the Trader Funeral Home, 12 Lotus Street, Dover. Instead of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the National Foundation for Cancer Research, 4600 East West Hwy., Suite 525, Bethesda, MD 20814. Letters of condolences may be sent to www.delmarvaobits.com or traderfh@aol.com.