William Melvin “Billy” Pilkerton, III, 54 of California, MD passed away on Monday, January 4, 2021 at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital, Leonardtown, MD due to complications of Covid-19.
Billy was born on Wednesday, October 26, 1966 in Leonardtown, MD to his loving parents William Melvin Pilkerton, Jr. and Agnes Cecelia.
Billy was the loving husband of Kimberly Ann (Pingleton) Pilkerton whom he married on May 16, 1992 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Bushwood, MD. They were Blessed with two beautiful daughters Jessica Cecelia in October 2001 and Ann Mary in January 2006.
Billy is survived by his wife Kimberly Ann and daughter Jessica Cecelia, his mother Agnes Cecelia, his siblings Janet Williams (Gary Ridgell) of Leonardtown, MD, Charlie Pilkerton (Tammy) of Clements, MD, Judy Willey (David) of Hollywood, MD, Joanne Namyst (Joe) of Waldorf, MD and mother-in-law Sarah Jean Pingleton of Clements, MD. Billy also leaves behind his dog “Lady”.
In addition, there are many in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins, God children, co-workers and wonderful friends who are left with the very fondest memories of Billy.
Billy was preceded in death by his daughter Ann Mary in January 2006, father William Melvin Pilkerton, Jr. in April 2018 and father-in-law John Francis Pingleton in February 2008.
Billy was a lifelong St. Mary’s County, MD resident and graduated from Leonardtown High School in 1985. He began his career at Target Support Directorate, Patuxent River Naval Air Station in 1990 with Dyncorp, Inc. Upon his arrival to “Targets”, Billy was assigned to the electronics technician shop. Throughout the next 20 year’s Billy supported a multitude of programs in support of the Targets division. He was initially responsible for maintenance and electronics for the target support vessels and targets utilized for the Test and Evaluation (T&E) and fleet customers. Over his 20 years as a contract employee, some of the notable projects Billy supported included the Tomahawk cruise missile program, the Penguin Missile program, the Mobile Launch Platform Program for the Missile Defense Agency and many weapon effects test projects in support of NAVSEA. Billy made a career change in March 2010 when he transitioned to the civilian workforce at Atlantic Targets and Marine Operations (ATMO) Division. He worked in the T&E Operations Branch for over 10 years and was an integral asset to ATMO. With over 30 combined years of support to the targets community, Billy was recognized as the subject matter expert for remote systems and he was known and respected throughout the targets community in his field. His knowledge and experience with the remote control systems for the navy targets program made him the “Go To” person for everything and anything regarding remote controlled target operations. During the years supporting targets, Billy was the person behind the laptop for thousands of remote control presentations for T&E and navy fleet training offshore operations. He spent countless hours onboard offshore support vessels and made countless trips all over the world in support of navy operations. With the experience Billy gained over the years, he was responsible for cross training many people in the field of remote control target systems. The impact of his accomplishments and support to the T&E and fleet customers over his 30 plus year career is paramount to the defense of the United States of America.
With all of the work related accomplishments, Billy was also a family and community oriented man. He was passionate about his family and he revealed this through personal stories he would routinely share with his co-workers (also known as his friends). As Jessica grew older, there were always stories of the sporting events and her activities during her progression through middle and high school. He loved to attend any event she was involved in and then provided the after event stories with the people at work. The Ocean City summer vacation was always on the list. Every year this was a family affair that he loved to attend. He was dedicated to his mom and dad throughout the years and especially as they grew older. Family meant the world to Billy and it certainly showed.
Billy always showed an interest in things that took place in the community. He was a very dedicated Director with the St. Mary’s County Fair Association. His dedication and passion for the Fair defined his community spirit. No matter what was going on at work, Billy was on the books for annual leave every year for “Fair Week”. It is no telling how many weeks, days or hours Billy volunteered to make sure he was there to keep the Fair running for the community to enjoy year after year.
With all of this, Billy was a person that expected no recognition. He went about each day in order to get to the next. His talents, his smile and regular “Hello” will be sorely missed but most of all Billy will be missed!
The family will receive friends on Tuesday, January 12, 2021 from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM at the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home Leonardtown, MD. Due to Covid-19, a Mass of Christian Burial officiating by Reverend Jerry Gamrot and Interment to follow at Charles Memorial Gardens, Leonardtown, MD will be Private. Serving as Pallbearers will be Steve Williams, Kevin Pilkerton, Jacob Namyst, Joshua Namyst, Kevin Russell and Jacob Pingleton.
The family would like to express our deepest thank you to the heroic measures taken by Billy’s care team at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital. The constant dedication of FaceTime, phone calls and updates did not go unrecognized. “Not all angels have wings…some have scrubs” – Unknown.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the following:
St. Mary’s County Fair Association, Inc.
P.O. Box 243
Leonardtown, MD 20650
Thank you on behalf of the family of Billy. May you find comfort in the best of memories. God Bless…
