William Choate

William Choate, better known as "Bill" Choate, was born September 5, 1925 in Franklin County, Kentucky to Lewis Garrett Choate and Nellie Choate. He was the youngest of four children, his siblings being: Marie Choate, Douglas Choate and Charles Choate.
On November 22, 1943, while a senior at Bridgeport High School, Bill was drafted into the Army. He was a combat engineer with the 279th Battalion, Company C. He served in France, Belguim, Holland and Germany. He saw action on Omaha Beach, cleared minefields during the fighting at the Battle of the Bulge and during the last days in the Battle for Munich. As a combat engineer, he was constantly in danger of enemy fire, working with little cover. He and his unit, cleared mines, build bridges and constructed structures for the Army. During the winter of 1945, he suffered severe frostbite to both feet and legs which nearly cost him both of his feet. He spent eight months in a hospital in England recovering before returning home in 1946 as a T-5 Corporal with an Honerable Discharge. 
At home, he was a carpenter by trade, building many homes and buildings in and around Frankfort. He was also a member of Evergreen Baptist Church.
Bill married Tressa Mae Barnett in 1954 and together they had a son, Willie Choate. He also raised three step-children, Roy Gene Murray, Jimmy Murray and Donna Murray.
Bill died April 22, 2009 at the Golden Living Center Nursing Home in Frankfort, Kentucky. He received a military burial and was buried April 27, 2009 in Sunset Memorial Gardens in Woodford County, Kentucky.
Category:Choate
Category:The Barnett Family
Category:Franklin County Births
Category:Kentucky Births
Category:Frankfort Deaths
Category:Franklin County Deaths
Category:Kentucky Deaths
Category:Sunset Memorial Gardens
Category:In the Services