Captain William D. “Bill” McClure was born in 1925 in Lebanon, Missouri, where he was raised in a family of four sons. Since childhood, he dreamed of joining the Navy, and did so at age 17, following his high school graduation in 1943. He received his commission in 1945 and served on the destroyer escort USS Woodsworth in the western Pacific in time for the Battle of Okinawa. His poor mother had all four sons serving overseas during the final year of World War II. He was released from active duty in 1946 to complete college at the University of Missouri, graduating in 1948.
McClure returned to active duty in 1950 at the onset of the Korean War and chose to make the Navy his career. As a commander, he made multiple trips to Vietnam during the mid-1960s aboard the USS Gaffey, then served a 13-month tour in Saigon from 1967 to 1968. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with combat “V.”
After 36 years of Naval service, including three tours stationed in Coronado, he retired here as a captain.
In 1950, while serving as a lieutenant aboard the USS Albuquerque during a port call in Hong Kong, he met and soon married his greatest love, Shirley Chao of Tsingtao, China.
Bill led an active retirement, volunteering extensively and staying involved in the lives of his growing family and in projects with Shirley. He was a longtime enthusiastic volunteer with the Coronado Optimist Club, serving as president from 1989 to 1990. He also spent many years working with San Diego’s Union of Pan Asian Communities, helping Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants file tax returns. Additionally, he volunteered at the Retirement Affairs Office at the Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, assisting families of recently deceased service members.
Bill passed away peacefully in Coronado just short of his 92nd birthday. He was survived by Shirley, his wife of 67 years; two sons and a daughter; six grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He loved the Navy and was honored to have served.
VOL. 116, NO. 1 – Jan. 7, 2026