William Robert “Bill” Bloomfield of Houston, 84, died Thursday, Dec. 23, 2010.

He was the father of Kelly (Pete Hartje) Bloomfield of Port Aransas.

Bloomfield was born Oct. 31, 1926, and was the second out of three sons raised by immigrant parents Frank Farnsworth Bloomfield of Liverpool, England, and Mary Reilly Bloomfield from County Cork, Ireland.

Born and raised in Connecticut, he spent most of his childhood and young adult life on boats, doing what he loved best, fishing, lobstering and water skiing. He and his cousin ran a successful lobster business for many years. In 1944, at the age of 17, after misrepresenting his age to join the army, Bloomfield joined the World War II effort in the South Pacific. He was recognized with citations as a marksman, awarded the good conduct medal as well as the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal. At age 19, he was promoted to sergeant.

After the war, Bloomfield returned to the East Coast where he rejoined his cousin in the lobster business,while earning his degree that allowed him to join the engineering field. From that point on, he traveled extensively and worked on some of the most highly regarded engineering projects in the world.

Bloomfield married Carol Ann Lyko in 1966. In the late 1970’s, work brought the Bloomfield family to Houston.

The Bloomfields volunteered for several years at Jersey Village High School, where their children attended school, as band parents, and large crowds always filled their home at every holiday and birthday.

Bloomfield was preceded in death by his parents, brothers Frank Jr. and John, and his cousin and best friend, John Lynch.

In addition to his wife and daughter Kelly, survivors include another daughter, Kathy (Sinks) McLarty; a son, William “B.J.” Bloomfield; and granddaughters Christine McLarty and Brianna Mc- Daniel.

A funeral Mass was held Wednesday, Jan. 5, at St. Maximillian Kolbe Catholic Church in Houston, followed by a military burial at Houston National Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation or the American Diabetes Association.