William Adams Stiles
(1881-1960)
Ethel M. Sharp
(1882-1971)
Gen. William Alfred Stiles Sr.
(1917-2002)

 

Family Links

Spouses/Children:
1. Adell Jane Bury

Gen. William Alfred Stiles Sr. 2 3 4 5 6 7

  • Born: 20 Mar 1917, Kansas City, Wyandotte, KS 2 4
  • Marriage (1): Adell Jane Bury on 1 Jun 1941 in Allentown, Lehigh, PA 1
  • Died: 18 Jan 2002, McLean: Carl Vinson Hall, Fairfax, VA at age 84 2 4 6
  • Buried: 25 Feb 2002, Arlington: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA 6

   FamilySearch ID: KZS3-ZK6.

  Noted events in his life were:

1. He attended school at U.S. Naval Academy in 1939.

2. Newspaper: Allentown Morning Call: Miss Adele Bury To Wed Naval Lieutenant, 28 Jun 1939, Allentown, Lehigh, PA. 3 Engagement to Lt. William A. Stiles of Kansas City Announced

At a dinner party for the family in the home of Mr. and Mrs. Frank H. Bury, 26 N. West St., last evening, the engagement of their third daughter, Adele J. and Lt. William A. Stiles, of Kansas City, Kansas, was announced.

The engagement is part of the sequence in a romance begun during the last Christmas holiday season when Lt. Stiles, then a first classman in the U. S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, was a visitor in this city and the young couple met at one of the many social events arranged for the midshipmen of his party. In the course of the evening a motor car in which they were passengers was struck by another and both were injured, Miss Bury quite seriously.

Though Midshipman Stiles was required to return to the academy at the end of his furlough, his interests and sympathies thereafter were in this city. Thereafter, following Miss Bury's complete recovery, she was a frequent visitor to elaborate social functions at Annapolis during the spring and at the end of June week, during which she met Mr. Stiles' family at Annapolis, returned with them to their Kansas home for a two-weeks stay. She returned home on Saturday evening with the traditional Navy ring that graces the finger of a Navy officer's fiancée.

Miss Bury attended and graduated from Allentown High school with honors and was a member of the Lambda Sigma Lambda sorority. For the last two years she attended Cedar Crest college.

Lieutenant Stiles is the only son of Mr. and Mrs. William A. Stiles, of Kansas City, Kansas. He graduated from the Wyandotte High school, of Wyandotte, Kansas, and then entered the Kansas City (Kansas) junior college, from which he received appointment to Annapolis.

In the Naval Academy he distinguished himself for scholarship, which enabled him to secure one of the twenty-five commissions annually given to Annapolis men in the U. S. Marine Corps, and in marksmanship with the rifle. During the past two years he was the leading shot of the U. S. Naval Academy team and during the two years was voted a member of the AU-American intercollegiate rifle team. He has been assigned to duty as a second lieutenant in the Marines and will report for duty at Philadelphia on July 1.

3. He served in the military in 1942 in Washington, District of Columbia, DC, USA. In 1942, General Stiles, by then a Captain, went to the Pacific with the 1st Marine Division. He took part in the campaigns for Guadalcanal, an epic in the annals of the Marine Corps, and for New Britain. In 1944, he was transferred to Marine Corps headquarters in Washington.

4. Military in 1942: Brigadier General in the Marine Corps.

5. Residence: on 17 Jun 1959 in McLean, Fairfax, VA, USA. 8

6. He received a military award in 1965. In 1965, after four years at Marine Corps headquarters, General Stiles returned to the 1st Marine Division as assistant division commander and served with it in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967. For part of that time, he commanded Task Force X-Ray, a multi-regimental tactical force. For that service, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

7. Newspaper: Morning Call: Ex-Allentonian's Husband Gets High Military Honor, 8 Jul 1967, Allentown, Lehigh, PA. 9 Special to The Morning Call
LITTLE CREEK, Va. - Brig. Gen. William A. Stiles, husband of the former Adele Bury of Allentown, was awarded the nation's third highest - military award, the Distinguished Service Medal, July 5. Brig. Stiles, commanding general of the U. S. Atlantic Fleet Landing Force Training Command, was presented the medal "for exceptionally meritorious", service while acting as commanding general of Marine task Force X-Ray in Vietnam. During the period covered by the citation, his force conducted a series of successful operations in Vietnam in late 1966 and early 1967. They accounted for over 1,300 confirmed enemy dead. He also conducted widespread civic programs to assist the South Vietnamese in the areas in which the task force was operating. Made brigadier general in the spring of 1965, he is a combat veteran of World War II, and was on Guadalcanal and other Pacific operations. He was graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1939 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marines.

8. Residence: on 10 Aug 1972 in McLean, Fairfax, VA, USA. 5

9. Residence: on 19 Jan 1986 in McLean, Fairfax, VA, USA. 10

10. Obituary: Arlington National Cemetery Website at http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/wastiles.htm in 2002 in Arlington: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA. William A. Stiles
Brigadier General, United States Marine Corps

William A. Stiles was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps June 1, 1939, on graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy, and was ordered directly to Basic School in Philadelphia, PA. On completion of TBS in 1940, he spent the mid-year season with the USMC Rifle & Pistol Team, attaining Distinguished Marksman status and firing as a team member on the 1940 USMC National Championship Rifle Team. Returning to Quantico from Camp Perry, he joined the 1st Marine Brigade, FMF and spent the following winter with E-2-5 on Caribbean maneuvers during that formation period of the 1st Marine Division prior to World War II.

At newly opened Camp Lejeune later that year, he was assigned the command of the Assault Engineer Company, 1st Engineers, which unit he led on D-day at the assault of Guadalcanal August 7, 1942. His "D" Company saw action in the defensive line at the critical September 13th battle for "Edson's Ridge". During the later Cape Gloucester campaign, Major Stiles served as S-4 of the 17th Marines (Engineer), a newly formed regiment of 1st MarDiv.

On return to the US in 1944, he was assigned to the M-5 Division of Plans and Policies, HQMC, serving in the Infantry Branch there until the end of WWII. In 1946, he attended the first post-war course at the Senior School at Quantico, VA. Back to the Pacific in 1947. He was assigned for 2 years as Force Marine Officer on the staff of Commander, Battleship-Cruiser Force. His next assignment ~after those two years of sea duty again was at Quantico, where he was stabilized for 3 years as an instructor in the Combined Arms Section of the MCS Education Center.

In 1952, LtCol Stiles was ordered to 2d Marine Division, where he served as CO, 2d Battalion, 2d Marines, and later as 2d Marines Executive Officer. That FMF duty was followed by 2 years in the Plans Division of CinCLantFlt Staff at Norfolk, and a subsequent assignment to the= 1957-8 Class of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. On graduation from ICAF, Col. Stiles served with the newly formed J-5 Division, Joint Staff, JCS until ordered back to FMF duty overseas in 1960. At Okinawa, he joined the 3d MarDiv and was assigned command of the 9th Marines, which duty he held until leaving Okinawa in 1961.

Returning to HQMC in 1961 for a second tour, he served as Head of the G-3 (Plans)Branch, then the principal planning support group for the CMC and Operations Deputy in the JCS arena. From this assignment, he was selected in 1964 for Brigadier General, soon thereafter being shifted to the Pentagon as OP-09M.

In 1965, BGen. Stiles again joined the 1st MarDiv, at Camp Pendleton, but this time as ADC. Early the next year, he deployed to ChuLai, RVN, with the 5th Marines and the remaining rear echelon of the Division. At ChuLai, he formed within the Division a tactical ADC group designated Task Force XRAY, capable of separate combat action. When 1st MarDiv Headquarters shifted to Danang in the fall of 1966, BGen. Stiles remained at ChuLai as CG, Task Force XRAY, thereafter conducting or coordinating Divisional tactical operations in southern III MAF area until his tour was completed in March 1967. For these latter actions, he was awarded the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and several RVN combat decorations.

On his return to the US, he assumed duties of CG, Landing Force Training Command at Little Creek, VA. While there, he also acted under US Navy orders designating him Commander Amphibious Training Command, Atlantic Fleet (a Rear Admiral's billet which he filled for much of his tour there). From this LFTCLant assignment, BGen. Stiles joined the retired list on May 1, 1968.
Following his retirement, BGen. Stiles assumed the position of Eastern Regional Manager/Senior VP of Oppenheimer Industries, which was an agricultural management firm owned by BGen. H.L. Oppenheimer, USMCR. Settling in McLean, VA, he acted as NRA Referee for local and regional marksmanship competition, and also served on several local Boards including that of the Army Navy Club of Washington, DC.

From a Press Report: 25 January 2002:

William A. Stiles, 84, a retired Brigadier General in the Marine Corps who served in two wars and held several high command and staff positions in Washington and elsewhere, died January 18, 2002, at the Arleigh Burke Pavilion at Carl Vinson Hall in McLean, Virginia. His death was attributed to complications resulting from strokes and cancer.

General Stiles, a native of Kansas City, Kansas, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1939 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. A crack shot, he was a member of the Marine Corps rifle team that won the National Championship at Camp Perry, Ohio, in 1940. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, when the United States entered World War II in 1941.

In 1942, General Stiles, by then a Captain, went to the Pacific with the 1st Marine Division. He took part in the campaigns for Guadalcanal, an epic in the annals of the Marine Corps, and for New Britain. In 1944, he was transferred to Marine Corps headquarters in Washington.

In the decade after World War II, General Stiles served in China, on sea duty with the Pacific fleet and at the Marine Corps Schools in Quantico as an instructor. He also commanded the 2nd Marine Regiment at Camp Lejeune. In 1955, he was named the amphibious plans officer for the Atlantic Fleet. He later graduated from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and received a master's degree in business administration from George Washington University.

In 1960, he went to Okinawa as a staff officer with the 3rd Marine Division and then as commanding officer of the 9th Marine Regiment.

In 1965, after four years at Marine Corps headquarters, General Stiles returned to the 1st Marine Division as assistant division commander and served with it in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967. For part of that time, he commanded Task Force X-Ray, a multi-regimental tactical force. For that service, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

General Stiles's final assignment before he retired from the Marine Corps in 1968 was as commanding general of the Landing Force Training Command of the Atlantic Fleet and of the amphibious training center at Little Creek, Virginia.

In addition to the Distinguished Service Medal, his personal decorations included the Legion of Merit.

From 1968 until he retired a second time in 1986, he was vice president and eastern regional manager of Oppenheimer Industries, an investment company based in Kansas City, Missouri, General Stiles had maintained a residence in McLean since 1959.

His wife, the former Adell Jane Bury, whom he married in 1941, died in 1992.

Survivors include three children, Susan Jane Rountree of Falls Church, Hunter Adams Stiles of McLean and William A. Stiles Jr. of Norfolk; two sisters, Rowena Anderson of Kansas City and Ruth Brady of Fredericksburg, Texas; and one grandson.

STILES, WILLIAM A.

On Friday, January 18, 2002 at Arleigh Burke Pavilion in McLean, Virginia. Husband of the late Adell B. Stiles; father of Susan J. Rountree, Hunter A., and William A. Stiles, Jr.; grandfather of Captain Daniel J. Rountree (USMC). Also survived by Ann N. Myers, other family and friends. Memorial service will be held Wednesday, January 30, 2002 at 1:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Vinson Hall, 6251 Old Dominion Dr., McLean, Virginia.

Interment will be held on Monday, February 25, 2002 at Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to the Navy Marine Corps and Coast Guard Residents Foundation at 6251 Old Dominion Drive, McLean, Virginia 22101.

STILES, WILLIAM A
BRIG GEN US MARINE CORPS
DATE OF BIRTH: 03/20/1917
DATE OF DEATH: 01/18/2002
BURIED AT: SECTION 3-M ROW 20 SITE 5
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

STILES, ADELL A
DATE OF BIRTH: 06/11/1917
DATE OF DEATH: 01/06/1992
BURIED AT: SECTION 3-M ROW 20 SITE 5
ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
WIFE OF STILES, WILLIAM A
BRIG GEN US MARINE CORPS.

11. Cause of Death: His death was attributed to complications resulting from strokes and cancer., 18 Jan 2002.

12. Obituary: Washington Post: obituary of Gen. William A. Stiles on 19 Jan 2002 in Washington, District of Columbia, DC, USA. 11 William A. Stiles, 84, a retired brigadier general in the Marine Corps who served in two wars and held several high command and staff positions in Washington and elsewhere, died Jan. 18 at the Arleigh Burke Pavilion at Carl Vinson Hall in McLean. His death was attributed to complications resulting from strokes and cancer.

Gen. Stiles, a native of Kansas City, Kan., graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1939 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. A crack shot, he was a member of the Marine Corps rifle team that won the national championship at Camp Perry, Ohio, in 1940. He was stationed at Camp Lejeune, N.C., when the United States entered World War II in 1941.

In 1942, Gen. Stiles, by then a captain, went to the Pacific with the 1st Marine Division. He took part in the campaigns for Guadalcanal, an epic in the annals of the Marine Corps, and for New Britain. In 1944, he was transferred to Marine Corps headquarters in Washington.

In the decade after World War II, Gen. Stiles served in China, on sea duty with the Pacific fleet and at the Marine Corps Schools in Quantico as an instructor. He also commanded the 2nd Marine Regiment at Camp Lejeune. In 1955, he was named the amphibious plans officer for the Atlantic Fleet. He later graduated from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces and received a master's degree in business administration from George Washington University.

In 1960, he went to Okinawa as a staff officer with the 3rd Marine Division and then as commanding officer of the 9th Marine Regiment.

In 1965, after four years at Marine Corps headquarters, Gen. Stiles returned to the 1st Marine Division as assistant division commander and served with it in Vietnam in 1966 and 1967. For part of that time, he commanded Task Force X-Ray, a multi-regimental tactical force. For that service, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

Gen. Stiles's final assignment before he retired from the Marine Corps in 1968 was as commanding general of the Landing Force Training Command of the Atlantic Fleet and of the amphibious training center at Little Creek, Va.

In addition to the Distinguished Service Medal, his personal decorations included the Legion of Merit.

From 1968 until he retired a second time in 1986, he was vice president and eastern regional manager of Oppenheimer Industries, an investment company based in Kansas City, Mo. Gen. Stiles had maintained a residence in McLean since 1959.

His wife, the former Adell Jane Bury, whom he married in 1941, died in 1992.

Survivors include three children, Susan Jane Rountree of Falls Church, Hunter Adams Stiles of McLean and William A. Stiles Jr. of Norfolk; two sisters, Rowena Anderson of Kansas City and Ruth Brady of Fredericksburg, Tex.; and one grandson.

13. Obituary: Washington Post: obituary of William A. Stiles on 26 Jan 2002 in Washington, District of Columbia, DC, USA. 6 STILES, WILLIAM A.
On Friday, January 18, 2002 at Arleigh Burke Pavilion in McLean, VA. Husband of the late Adell B. Stiles; father of Susan J. Rountree, Hunter A., and William A. Stiles, Jr.; grandfather of Captain Daniel J. Rountree (USMC). Also survived by Ann N. Myers, other family and friends. Memorial service will be held Wednesday, January 30, 2002 at 1:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Vinson Hall, 6251 Old Dominion Dr., McLean, VA. Interment will be held on Monday, February 25, 2002 at Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to the Navy Marine Corps and Coast Guard Residents Foundation at 6251 Old Dominion Dr., McLean, VA 22101.


William married Adell Jane Bury, daughter of Frank Henry Bury and Katie Isabelle Knerr, on 1 Jun 1941 in Allentown, Lehigh, PA.1 (Adell Jane Bury was born on 11 Jun 1917 in Allentown, Lehigh, PA 1 12 13 14, christened on 5 Aug 1917 in Allentown, Lehigh, PA,15 died on 6 Jan 1992 in McLean, Fairfax, VA, USA 12 13 14 16 and was buried on 10 Jan 1992 in Arlington: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA 13.)


Sources


1 Beacher, Isabel Bury, Records of Isabel Bury Beacher (Her family calendar).

2 Find A Grave, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=26748942.

3 Morning Call (Allentown, PA), 28 Jun 1939, page 12. Engagement of Adele Bury and William Stiles.

4 Ancestry.com, U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 (Original data: Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007.), SSN 514-40-3553 William Alfred Stiles b. 20 Mar 1917 Kansas City. Father William A. Stiles. Mother Ethel M. Sharp.

5 Morning Call (Allentown, PA), 11 Aug 1972, page 15. Obituary of Mrs. Katie I. Bury.

6 Washington Post Newspaper (Washington, D.C.), 26 Jan 2002, obituary of William A. Stiles.

7 Ancestry.com, Virginia, U.S., Marriage Records, 1936-2014 (Original data: Virginia, Marriages, 1936-2014. Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, Virginia.), Certificate 77 016741 William Alfred Stiles Jr. and Barbara Jane Pratt, m. 28 May 1977.

8 Morning Call (Allentown, PA), 18 Jun 1959, page 55. Obituary of Frank H. Bury.

9 Morning Call (Allentown, PA), 8 Jul 1967, page 24.

10 The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC) (Charlotte, Mecklenburg, North Carolina), 21 Jan 1986, page 11. Obituary of Mrs. Elizabeth Bury Alderman.

11 Washington Post Newspaper (Washington, D.C.), 19 Jan 2002, obituary of William A. Stiles.

12 U.S. Social Security Death Index.

13 Find A Grave, http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=26749357.

14 Ancestry.com, Virginia, U.S., Death Records, 1912-2014 (Original data: Virginia, Deaths, 1912–2014. Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, Virginia.), 92-001758 Adell B. Stiles, father Frank H. Bury, mother Kate Nerr, spouse Gen. William A. Stiles, informant.

15 The Allentown Leader (Allentown, PA) (Allentown, Lehigh, Pennsylvania), 7 Aug 1917, page 3. Baptism of Adelle Jane Bury.

16 Morning Call (Allentown, PA), January 10, 1992 Page B7.



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