William Mcrea

William T. McRea Jr., age 84, passed away unexpectedly Easter Sunday, April 24, 2011, at Hurley Medical Center in Flint as the result of injuries sustained in an automobile accident that day. Known to his family and friends as Tom, he was born March 9, 1927, in Aberdeen, Mississippi, the son of the late William Thomas and Mary Emma (Johnson) McRea. Following graduation from high school, he joined the U.S. Navy and served in the Pacific during World War II. After his service in the Navy, Tom attended a chefs school and was employed most of his life as a restaurant chef. He settled in the Caro area in the late 1960s. Surviving Tom are one son and his wife, Richard and Linda McRea, of Tuscaloosa, Alabama; four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; the mother of his children, Pearl Strong, living in Alabama; three sisters: Geneva Weeks, Ruby Kirksey, Josephine McCarty, all living in Louisiana; one brother, Allen McRea, of Alabama, nieces, nephews, and many friends. In addition to his parents, Tom was preceded in death by two of his wives, Maddie and Helene, and one son, Ronald McRea.