By Deborah Larsen
Claude Clyde Billington
Claude Clyde Billington, known to family and friends as Carl, was born in Pontiac, Michigan, on June 6, 1924, the son of Stanley and Matilda Owens Billington. The Billington family moved to Crooks Road in Avon Township when Carl was a teenager. Before the war, Carl worked for General Motors Truck & Coach in Pontiac.
In August 1943, Carl entered the U.S. Navy. After training as a motor machinist’s mate, he was stationed aboard the destroyer USS Knight in November 1943. The Knight conducted escort missions and antisubmarine patrols in the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean. Carl was discharged from military service in April 1946.
After the war, Carl married and resumed his employment with General Motors Truck & Coach Division, from which he eventually retired.
Claude Clyde Billington died at age 54 on May 9, 1979, and was laid to rest in Clarkston, Michigan.