William E. Padden

William Edward Padden passed away on Tuesday, March 25, 2025 at the age of 77. He was born in Boston, MA to the late James F Padden and Frances L (Kennedy) Padden. Bill lived a full and rich life with his beloved wife, Susan, for 56 years, and children Jennifer and Christopher. He was devoted to his four beautiful grandchildren, Keenan, Kate, Lila, and Jackson, enjoying their many sports activities and hobbies and the important celebrations, always traveling with Susan from southern states for these events. He wouldn’t miss them! Bill was commissioned on the USS Hornet for his four years of service after enlisting in the US Navy in 1966. The Hornet was the primary recovery vessel for Apollo 11 and 12 moon missions. The crew of the Hornet, the Press, and President Nixon welcomed the astronauts home, aboard the Hornet from Apollo 11 mission on July 24, 1969. Bill had the privilege of being part of the team that offloaded moon artifacts into the quarantine trailer. Bill considered serving in the Navy to be an honor and a privilege. Bill was very proud of his 41 year career at Mack Trucks/ Volvo Trucks, Inc. He loved his work, the challenges, and most of all the people he met daily. Bill was well respected by all at Mack Allentown, Mack Winnsboro, SC, and Volvo Trucks, Dublin, VA. He retired in 2015. Bill was one of those people who could fix anything - Sue often mentioned how lucky they were to never have a repair bill! He was a man with innumerable skills. Bill built a two car garage at his first home in Coopersburg. He and Chris did a frame up restoration on a 1950 Chevy truck in the driveway of our second house, a beautiful truck that Chris still uses. Our children benefited from his building and carpentry skills when they needed remodeling jobs done on their homes. He enjoyed sharing his talents with his friends and family. He was a kind and generous man. Golfing was Bills sport, he was competitive and loved playing. He had the opportunity to go to school in Ohio and he became certified in golf club making and repair. Bill set up shop in the basement of our Radford, VA house located on the VA Tech Golf Course and his business took off. Bill is survived by his wife Susan (Vaughan) Padden, sister, Carol (Greg) Kolasa, daughter Jennifer (Dale) Dickson, son Christopher (Megan) Padden, and grandchildren, Keenan, Kathryn, Lila, and Jackson. Graveside service will be private by invitation only. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Amedisys Hospice or St James Lutheran Church c/o of Trexler Funeral Home, 1625 W. Highland St. Allentown, PA 18102.