Lt. Commander William W. Witherspoon II, Esq.

Lt. Commander William "Wally" Wallace Witherspoon II, Esq., of Medford, New Jersey, formerly of Spokane, Washington, was born on October 5, 1942, and passed away peacefully on September 16, 2025, surrounded by the love of his family.

Born and raised in Spokane, Wally attended a Canadian military high school in Victoria, British Columbia, for two years. After graduation, he joined the Navy Reserve as an electronics technician. In 1961, he received a Navy Reserve appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated in 1965. He earned his designation as a Naval Aviator in 1967.

During his distinguished military career, Wally served with VA-147, the Navy's first A-7 Corsair II squadron, aboard the USS Ranger as V-2 Division Officer, and with VA-56 on the USS Midway as Operations Officer for Carrier Air Wing Five. He completed two combat tours during the Vietnam War, flying nearly 100 combat missions. His shore assignments included serving as a flight instructor in Kingsville, Texas; training pilots in A-4 Skyhawks at NAS Lemoore; and working with the Blue Angels during their transition from F-4s to A-4s. He also led testing operations at the Naval Air Engineering Center at Lakehurst, New Jersey. Wally retired from active duty in 1985 with the rank of Lieutenant Commander, earning three Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medals with Combat Distinguishing Device and three Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals.

Following his service, Wally pursued law, graduating from Dickinson School of Law in 1987, and enjoyed a successful legal career.

Wally was a devoted husband to Dione LaRue-Witherspoon; a loving father to Shari Witherspoon, Jennifer Witherspoon, William Witherspoon, III (Diana), Alexander Witherspoon (Kisuny), Charlotte Witherspoon, and step father to Timothy Kaiser and Kristi Scherm; a proud grandfather to Travis Stone, Tyler Stone, Trevor Stone, Tara Stone Taylor, Dallas Vanboserck, Madilynn Arama, Gavin Arama, Trenton Witherspoon, and Nolan Witherspoon, with another grandson expected soon; and a proud great-grandfather. He was also a brother to Grant Witherspoon (Cynthia), James Witherspoon (Cheryl), Tannis, and Peter Witherspoon (Gay).

Well-traveled and successful, Wally lived a full life guided by his love of country and his faith in Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. Known for his wit, sarcasm, and quick sense of humor, he had a way of filling any room with laughter. Those who knew him best will remember his signature sideways smirk after a slightly crass comment or joke-a look that perfectly captured his mischievous humor and warmth. He loved animals, cherished time with his family, and approached life with both grit and tenderness.

He will be remembered not only for his accomplishments as a naval aviator, lawyer, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, but also for the way he made people smile and the love he gave freely to family, friends, and four-legged companions alike.

A visitation will be held on Tuesday, September 30, 2025, from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm, followed by a memorial service at 12:00 pm at LeRoy P. Wooster Funeral Home & Crematory, 441 White Horse Pike, Atco, NJ 08004.