William Charles (“Bill”) Schoen, a fifty-year resident of Hawks Nest Road, Stony Brook, New York, died of congestive heart failure on Jan. 14 at Essex Meadows, his retirement community in Essex. He was 94 years old.

Born on June 8, 1920, in Memphis, Tennessee, Bill grew up in Chicago, Illinois, and then enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. His class, the class of 1942, graduated early in order to join the war effort. He spent the war in the Army Air Corps in East Anglia, England, maintaining American bombers. He left the service with the rank of Major.

After the war, Bill and his wife “Petey” settled on Long Island. He worked for Grumman Aircraft as an aeronautical systems engineer, and he contributed to many projects, including the Lunar Landing Module for the NASA Apollo project and the Space Station. He retired from Grumman in 1984 after nearly 40 years of service.

In his spare time, Bill was an avid sailor and a longtime member of the Setauket Yacht Club. He was also a member of the Jericho Flyers Club, a Long Island-based club dedicated to building and flying radio-controlled model aircraft. He and his family belonged to the Setauket Presbyterian Church, where he served as a deacon. He and his wife Petey also volunteered for “Meals on Wheels” for many years.

In 2004, Bill and Petey moved from Stony Brook, New York, to Essex Meadows, a continuous care retirement community in Essex, where they were involved in a number of clubs and activities. They remained avid travelers until their 80s, touring mainly in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Bill is survived by his daughters Elizabeth Burgess of Saratoga, California, Joanna Tillson of Madison, Christina Schoen of Greenwich, and four grandchildren.

His family thanks the staff of Essex Meadows, the affiliated Health Center, and Middlesex Hospital for the kind and attentive care they provided to Bill, especially after the passing of his wife Petey in April 2013.