Willard, age 76, died in Sacramento, California, on December 25, 2002. He was born in Andover, Kansas, on February 23, 1926. At age 18 he registered for the draft and qualified for the Civilian Public Service program. During the 1945 fire season he was one of the CPS jumpers at Missoula. Following the war, most of his life was lived in the Andover, Kansas area. He is buried at Lakeview Cemetery at Wichita, Kansas.