William J. Camarinos, 87, of Tarpon Springs, Florida, passed away on Saturday morning, June 15th, 2024, at a hospital near his new home in Tarpon Springs, Florida.
Bill retired from the US Army as a Lieutenant Colonel with a total of 20 years of active duty service. He was a very active Signal Corps Officer, who worked mostly communications electronic, signal intelligence, and electronic warfare missions. Bill served three tours in Vietnam. He received two bronze stars, among a collection of other medals and awards. He often worked with Army Green Beret special forces units in a variety of overseas assignments, wherein his command of the Greek and Persian languages we a huge asset.
Undoubtedly, Bills numerous encounters with Bladder Cancer, and subsequent surgeries for that condition were attributable to his exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam. Bill died last weekend, essentially of respiratory failure (among other ailments), while recovering from another recent bout of bladder cancer and COVID (Nov-Dec 2023)
Bill Camarinos was admired and “loved” by so many of us in VFW Post 609. He was always dapper, smart, alert, witty, insightful and dedicated to our comrades in Post 609; and he had numerous friends in our Veteran community.
Bill particularly liked watching the Civil Air Patrol Cadets, the Boy Scouts, and Girl Scouts work the Wreaths Across America and the Flags-in-the-ground events. He held many “grandfatherly conversations with the scouts”. One of his crowning participatory events was holding forth as the recipient of dozens of Vietnam Veterans at our two March 29th, 2022 celebrations of the DoD 50th Commemoration Commission sponsored celebrations, wherein, Bill insisted the Vets present themselves, and then render a snappy hand salute to him as an aging Colonel. Then he permitted the legendary John Ayers and me to pin their Vietnam Lapel Pin on them commemorating their service in the VN war. We did this at both the Goodwin Retirement Home for lunch; and then again at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Richmond Highway at a dinner celebration- on the same day.
It is a shame that while Bill lobbied repeatedly within our Post business meetings for pursiot of a Post Challenge Coin, as we only recently acquired our first order of coins. Bill never received one.
Bill is survived by his brother Dean, sister Rita, nieces and nephews.
Thomas B Dobies Funeral Home - Tarpon Springs Chapel
Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral
Kathleen Cangemi
June 20, 2024, 12:53 am
Dean, Eileen, Rita and family…Bill certainly lived a beautiful and proud life…I was fortunate enough to know him…my thoughts and prayers are with all of you..Love, Kathy Cangemi
Marty Menez
June 21, 2024, 1:15 am
Bill was an real asset to Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 609 here in Alexandria, VA, before relocating to Florida recently. Always with a ready smile and positive attitude, he inspired us all with his constructive approach (in spite of his severe health issues) and was an example of what an officer and gentleman should be, not to mention a bona fide war hero. We miss his participation, contributions and example to us all. We salute, you, Bill. As we say in the Navy, “Fair winds and following seas.”
Louis Marinelli
July 14, 2024, 12:27 am
I met Bill at NYU in Sept 1955 at a fraternity rush party. We were accepted as brothers after a hell-week in Feb 1956. We were brothers and friends for over 70 years and we remained great friends for almost all of those years.
I redid Bill’s kitchen while he was in Spain learning Spanish so he could teach English to speakers of other languages. He learned too late that most of his students were speakers of Latino Spanish and laughed at his lisp.
We were fortunate to have a group of Fijis from our college era, John Brennan, Bob Sommer, Ron Trettau, Ed Grenning, Tom Zack, Vin Byrne, Bob Bettini and Washington visitors sometimes.
I think that we enjoyed those luncheons all the time. The card crd games at Vin’s house were pretty good.
Bill was an interesting guy. He was highly regarded as a really smart guy but he was a good shortstop and a great fraternity president. He never forgave the NY downtown group from giving up the fraternity house and he had all the legal documentation to prove it.
All of his brothers are going to miss “The President Forever”
Richard M. Waugaman, M.D.
October 12, 2024, 3:33 pm
I just learned of Bill’s death from this obituary. What a wonderful, generous, warm-hearted man! He loved volunteering at Reagan National Airport as a Greek/English translator. He told me the most frequent question he was asked (in Greek) was “where are the restrooms?” He could tell from people’s facial expressions what they were about to ask him.
Bill and I became friends through our common interest in the Shakespeare authorship question. We often got together at the Cosmos Club for monthly luncheons featuring speakers on the evidence that the 17th Earl of Oxford was the real Shakespeare. Bill got interested in this topic in high school!
Bill often came to our home for our regular “movie nights.” He was the most gracious guest we ever had, always bringing flowers.
Bill offered to donate $130,000 to the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC, merely asking that they acknowledge in their public space that some of us believe Oxford wrote Shakespeare. They refused his donation.
Now, though, in their recently re-opened exhibition hall, is a sign that reads,
“People who believe Edward de Vere, Earl of Oxford (1150-1604), wrote Shakespeare’s plays have long studied this Bible [that was first owned by Oxford]. The earl’s heraldic badge, a boar, appears on the front and back covers. One reason “Oxfordians” support Oxford’s authorship is because handwritten notes and markings in this Bible are similar to language in Shakespeare’s plays. The Folgers acquired it in 1925.”
That would make Bill happy!