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Edward J. Cilley

Personal

Gender: Male

Date of Birth: March 14, 1921

Date of Death: August 12, 2017

Birth Place: Fairfield, ME

Death Place: Waterville, ME

Edward J. Cilley
1921 – 2017

WATERVILLE – Edward J. Cilley, 96, died Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017, at Lakewood Continuing Care Center in Waterville.

He was born in Fairfield, on March 14, 1921, the son of Harold and Mary (Murray) Cilley. He was educated in Fairfield schools and was a graduate of Lawrence High School.

He entered the military as a member of the U.S. Air Force on November 20, 1939, and had his first duty assignment at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii and completed the aircraft armorer course with duty on B-18s and B-17s.

He was still at Hickam AFB when the Japanese launched their attack on Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941. He was also a member of the famous 11th bomb group which bombed Guadalcanal and other parts of the Solomon Islands prior to the Army and Marine landings.

In May of 1943, he returned to the United Sates where he was assigned to an overseas replacement depot at Salt Lake City and later Tonopah, Nevada.

Shortly thereafter, in January 1944, he was on his way to an assignment with the 8th Air Force in Norwich, England. There he remained assisting in the bombing of Germany with B-24s until August 1945, when he returned to the states. After two months as a civilian, he reenlisted and was assigned to Westover AFB in Massachusetts in the personnel field.

He remained at Westover until 1951, when he was selected for an AFROTC assignment at Colby College in Waterville. There he performed duties of detachment sergeant major until July 1956, when he received an overseas assignment to Greenland as base personnel sergeant major.

In July 1956, he returned to the U.S. and was assigned as NCOIC, Airman’s Branch, at Plattsburg AFB in New York. He retired from the Air Force in March 1963 as a detachment sergeant major for the Air National Guard Unit at Van Nuys Air National Guard Base in California.

He was a longtime member of the Waterville Lodge of Elks and the Bourque-Lanigan American Legion Post of Waterville.

Edward is survived by his loving wife, Millicent (McInnis) Cilley, of Waterville; his three sons: Steven, Michael and Bryan Cilley, all of Waterville; and six grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.

The family would like to thank Lakewood for their care of Edward during his illness, and the Care and Comfort Agency for their love and caring.

At the family’s request, there will be no public visitation. A graveside committal service with military honors will be held Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2017, at 10 a.m. at Maplewood Cemetery, Maple Street, Fairfield. Arrangements are under the direction and care of Gallant Funeral Home, 10 Elm St., Waterville.

Published in Central Maine on August 17, 2017

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