CDR William Emert Solomon

CDR William Emert Solomon, Jr

CDR William Emert Solomon, Jr (USN Ret) of Durham, Maine died on March 31, 2019 in Portland, Maine, surrounded by his loving family.  William was born on December 21, 1944 in Brownwood, Texas, the son of Bertha (Colson) and William Solomon, Sr.   He married Barbara Jean Dudley in Gray, Maine in 1965.

 In recent years Bill has often said he had four careers.   After graduating in 1966 from the University of Maine, he proudly served in the United States Navy until 1988 as a Naval Flight Officer.  The epitome of the lifelong learner, Bill completed an MS in Physical Oceanography from the Naval Postgraduate School and graduated from the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.  He was his happiest flying in P-3 Orions  or  S-3 Vikings in search of submarines  or coordinating a more complex mission from the USS Saratoga.  After retiring from the Navy, Bill’s second career was inspiring teenagers by teaching mathematics, chemistry and his favorite course, physics, at Richmond High School until 2001.   For the next decade, his third “career” consisted of retaking all the physics and most of the chemistry classes offered at USM.  He willingly shared his vast knowledge and experience with classmates as he competed with them for grades. He always considered himself to be a physicist.  Lastly, Bill read voraciously, everything from political thrillers to historical novels to nonfiction in the sciences or in the social sciences.

Having grown up in an Army family, he was a world traveler from an early age.  Prior to college, Bill lived in the U.S. and Germany, where he enjoyed Boy Scouts and earned the rank of Eagle Scout.  With his wife and kids, he travelled to Europe and Japan. After retirement, he relished going on cruises with Navy friends and seeing more of Europe.  In his later years, when he reached his foreign destination, he would try to visit the resting place of a famous scientist or mathematician from that city.  His favorite stop was at the classroom of Nils Bohr in Copenhagen. 

Most of all, he loved being Gramps to his grandchildren Alyssa and Rachel Solomon, and Hayden, Bryce and Sophie Gunn.  He tried to instill in them his passion for books, science and having fun..

Bill is predeceased by his parents, Bertha and William, Sr, by his parents-in-law, N. Oscar and Gladys Dudley, and by his sister-in-law, Pauline Duplisea and her husband, Carl Duplisea.  He is survived by his wife, Barbara, and by their precious children, Margaret Solomon Gunn and her husband, Eric, and, CAPT William Solomon, III, USN, and his wife, Kirsten.  He is also survived by his sister, Pamela Reid and her husband, Terry, by  his brother, Edward Solomon and his wife Carla, by his sister, Janet Solomon and by his brother-in-law, Clifton Dudley and his wife Pamela.   Always a cat lover, he has happily joined Pumpkin, Max and especially, Sweet e Pi.

Friends and family may join in a celebration of his life on May 18, 2019 at the Harraseeket Inn at 1 P.M. 

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