Obituary of William “Bill” Warren Carrigan

Known as Bill to friends and family alike, William Warren Carrigan passed away on July 20, 2019 in Melbourne, Florida after an extended illness. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Robert Bruce Carrigan and John Franklin Carrigan and his son-in-law, Glenn Frederick Clack II. Bill leaves behind his wife of 45 years, Carolyn Carrigan; 4 children, Gregory Carrigan, Shannon (Scott) Morgan, Julie (Chris) Altham, and Cecelia Clack; as well as his 9 grandchildren (Courtney, Robert, Rebecca, William, Blake, Wesley, Kailyn, Chase, and Madeline). Bill was born and raised in Shreveport, Louisiana. In 1955, Bill’s father signed a consent for 17-year-old Bill to join the armed forces. He served in the United States Navy briefly before enlisting in the United States Air Force. As a bassoonist in the Air Force Band, Bill performed throughout the United States and around the world. After a full military career, Bill retired from the Air Force as a Senior Master Sergeant in 1978 and started his second career as a technician at Harris Corporation. Bill and his wife, Carolyn, chose to move their young family to Central Florida so that they could put down roots and raise their children near extended family. Bill and Carolyn were active members of Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church in Palm Bay, Florida. Over the years Bill expressed his continuing passion for music by playing in the Brevard Symphony Orchestra, instilling his love for classical music by teaching generations of students, and hosting a classical music broadcast at the WFIT radio station. Throughout his life, he was also a regular on the amateur radio airwaves as a HAM radio operator and, as expected, shared his enthusiasm and skill by teaching classes to new HAMs. Bill will be dearly missed by his family and friends for his dry wit, intelligence, musical abilities and gentleness. A memorial service will be held at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church on Saturday, July 27, 2019 at 1:00 pm where the family invites loved ones to honor his memory and celebrate his life.