William John Launikitis

William J. "Bill" Launikitis, 81, of Tampa, Florida, died on December 15th, 2015. A native of Binghamton, NY, he lived in the Tampa Bay area for the past 47 years. He was predeceased by his parents William Sr. and Alina Launikitis, and his oldest son Michael William born in 1958. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Patricia Ann; sons, Stephen James and wife Kimberly; Charles Patrick, Joseph Edward and wife Morgan, and William John III and wife Erica; a brother, Matthew B. Launikitis and wife Nancy of Houston, TX. Also, grandchildren Amanda Hawkins and husband Kyle; Michael R., Megan A., Morgan M., Nicholas J., Lauren E., William J. IV, Alina P., Luke M., Jacob C. and Charles R., several nieces and nephews. He served in the United States Air Force for 25 years and retired from MacDill AFB in Tampa as a Lt. Colonel. He completed a combat tour in Vietnam as an F-4 fighter pilot where he flew 201 combat missions over North and South Vietnam. He received two Distinguished Flying Crosses, the Bronze Star, the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal with two Bronze Service Stars, the Korean Service Medal, Combat Readiness Medal, and fifteen Air Medals in addition to numerous other decorations. He was a Command Pilot with over 7100 hours of flight time in 22 different aircraft, but his favorite was the F-4 Phantom which he flew for the last 12 years of his Air Force career. His overseas assignments, other than Vietnam, included England, France, and South Korea. After retirement, he worked in Marketing for design and construction firms. He received both his Bachelor and Master of Business degrees from the University of Tampa where he also taught various business courses as an Adjunct Professor. He was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, the Military Officers Association, Air Force Association, Order of Daedalians, and the Florida Sheriffs Association. He was actively involved in many community and business organizations. He coached Youth Football, Basketball and Little League Baseball. He was an Honorary Deputy for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and chaired the Hillsborough County's Marine Law Enforcement Advisory Committee for over 15 years. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Bill's memory to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or Disabled American Veterans (DAV.org).