William Mitchell Willis

William Mitchell Willis (98) passed away on September 27, 2021 to join his wife, Emma, and their 2 sons, Eric and Robert. He is survived by his daughter Carol T. Willis, family, friends and his Alfred Street Baptist Church family who loved him dearly and will deeply miss him.

Mr. Willis was born and raised in Alexandria and resided there until attending college. He was then drafted into WWII and served with valor and distinction in the US Army from 1943 through 1946.  His service to his country continued as a federal government employee in the CIA for over 34 years.

Mr. Willis dedicated his retirement years to community service; volunteering extensively at two Alexandria non-profit organizations, ALIVE! and the Carpenter’s Shelter. He earned numerous awards for his service there and was recognized by Channel 7 as a “Harris Hero” for 35 years of service.

As devout Christian, Mr. Willis was a lifelong member of the historic Alfred Street Baptist Church in Alexandria. He became the longest serving Deacon there and the only one to hold the title of Senior Deacon, before becoming a Deacon Emeritus in 2016.  He loved serving the underserved and was as a mentor and role model to those around him.

Whether known as Will, Bill, Sarge or Deacon, his commitment to his country, his community, and his church was boundless and constant.  He made a positive impact on every life he touched.

The Celebration of Life will be held at Alfred Street Baptist Church on October 13, 2021. Out of an abundance of caution, COVID-19 protocols will be observed such as temperature checks, social distancing, wearing of masks, no guest book, and attendance restrictions inside of the sanctuary.

The viewing will take place in the church narthex from 9 am until 12 pm with no attendance restrictions. The funeral service will take place at 12 PM within the sanctuary but only those on the admittance list may enter. To request attendance at the funeral, please email carlton.willis@gmail.com. The funeral service will also be streamed on YouTube. Please use this link to sign up and you will receive the YouTube link via email on the morning of the service. https://forms.gle/WoCZXkwtHBLA4bDi6 Internment will be at Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Hillcrest Heights, MD.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in his name to ALIVE!, https://www.alive-inc.org or the Carpenter’s Shelter, https://carpentersshelter.org

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