William Austin McGhee

William Austin McGhee, 85, died peacefully with loving family members by his side Tuesday, July 9, 2024, after a brief stay at Halifax Health — Hospice Care Center in Orange City. He was born January 21, 1939, in Alamo, Georgia. He moved to DeLand, Florida, where he met and married his wife of 65 years, Edna Pearl White. He is survived by Edna and their son, Bill McGhee (Hayley) and their daughter, Debbie (Bud) Martin, 1 grandson , 2 granddaughters and 5 great grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews. W.A. was predeceased by his parents and his 4 brothers and 1 sister. W.A. began his longtime career at the Florida State Road Department/Department of Transportation in DeLand as a surveyor. He also worked in Materials and Research before becoming an engineer designing roads and bridges in the District Design Department. He later transferred to Volusia County Engineering where he retired under the Florida Retirement System. After his retirement, he continued his engineering career with Brindley Peters Consulting Firm, working on projects throughout Florida. During his younger years, W.A. was a volunteer fireman at the DeLand Fire Station. W.A. and Edna enjoyed traveling and logged many miles out west by car, and they flew to Canada, Alaska, Hawaii, Australia and New Zealand and made three trips to Israel. Allen Summerhill is in charge of arrangements. A viewing will be Friday, July 19th from 5-7pm and a funeral service will be Saturday July 20th at 10am, with both being held in the Chapel. A graveside service will be held at Oakdale Cemetery in DeLand.

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