About
William Tillema, the son of Arendt and Margaret (Van Gennep) Tillema, was born on April 27, 1898, in Schodack Landing, New York. By 1917, he was living and working in Schenectady.
On January 23, 1917, William enlisted in the United States Navy. He held the rank of Coxswain. On March 3, 1920, while delivering mail at a Naval Training Station in Princess Anne, Virginia, William fractured his skull and died when he accidentally struck his head against a trolley pole. He is buried in the Park View Cemetery, Schenectady, New York.
Sources: The Schenectady Gazette, Find A Grave, Ancestry