Obituary of William Faulkner

William H. Faulkner enjoyed both the academic and athletic sides of school. He taught biology from 1946 to 1963 at Simon Kenton High School, where he also served as athletic director and coached basketball and baseball. "He really enjoyed teaching, but he enjoyed coaching, too. He said he enjoyed coaching so much that he would have paid them to coach," said Mr. Faulkner's son, William Faulkner II, of Cincinnati. Mr. Faulkner, 87, of Independence, died Saturday at his home. He was the principal of Park Hills Elementary School from 1963 to 1987. Mr. Faulkner also worked for more than 60 years for the Kenton County Board of Education, and was a founding member and former vice president of the Kenton County School District Education Foundation. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Walton and a season ticket holder for the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra. Mr. Faulkner was an avid gardener and enjoyed raising different varieties of tomatoes and green beans. He was an avid University of Kentucky basketball and football fan. Mr. Faulkner was a Navy veteran of World War II. "He served in the South Pacific and avoided being injured in the war," said his son. "However, on the way home after the war, his ship was hit by a typhoon and shipwrecked on a reef. "They couldn't get the ship off the reef, and everybody stayed on the ship six months because all the other ships were packed going home and there wasn't an inch to spare on them. "My father said that was the longest six months he ever spent." Mr. Faulkner was a great conversationalist, who was interested in telling stories and listening to stories. "People were always happy to see him coming," said his son. "He was greatly interested in learning the stories of people's lives." Mr. Faulkner never stopped learning. "He was a voracious reader and as each year passed he wanted to read more and learn more," said his son. "He read all the newspapers and magazines and had two books going at one time. "He liked all kinds of subjects - government and politics and the Civil War. "He had a great, laid-back personality. He loved life, he loved people and people loved him." Mr. Faulkner was preceded in death by his wife, Charlotte Toney Faulkner, in 1983. Other survivors include a daughter, Sherry Allyson House of Nashville, Tenn.; a brother, Jack Faulkner of Middletown, Ohio, and a granddaughter. Services will be at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Chambers and Grubbs Funeral Home, Florence.Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m. today at the funeral home. Burial will be in Floral Hills Cemetery, Taylor Mill. Memorials may be made to the Kenton County School District Board of Education Foundation, c/o Board of Education, 1055 Easton Dr., Fort Wright, Ky., 41017.