William F. Dooling Jr., 92, decorated WWII veteran [The Philadelphia Inquirer]

July 04--William F. Dooling Jr., 92, of Drexel Hill, a decorated World War II veteran, former insurance underwriter, and U.S. Postal Service employee, died Wednesday, June 27, at home.

Mr. Dooling graduated from Brooklyn (N.Y.) Boys High School in 1938 and was an insurance claims adjuster before joining the Army in 1941.

While serving with the 507th Parachute Infantry Regiment in Europe, he was injured in one leg when his jeep overturned during a skirmish. He earned a Purple Heart. Later, he fought in the Pacific Theater and was awarded a Bronze Star.

After the war, he remained in the Army Reserve, retiring as a lieutenant colonel in 1968.

In civilian life, Mr. Dooling was an underwriter for Insurance Co. of North America. To help support his family, he took a second job at Gimbel Bros.

In the mid-1970's, when the insurance firm downsized, he became a letter carrier in Southwest Philadelphia. He was a clerk at a post office in Southwest Philadelphia when he retired at age 78.

Mr. Dooling married Dorothea "Dash" Smith in 1947, and the couple raised four children in Drexel Hill. In 1952, they built a cottage on Long Beach Island. They spent wonderful times at the Shore with their family, their son Douglas said.

In addition to his son, Mr. Dooling is survived by a daughter, Deborah; sons Scott and Jeff; and six grandchildren. His wife died in 2004.

A funeral was private. Burial will be at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery.

Contact Sally A. Downey at 215-854-2913 or sdowney@phillynews.com.

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