William Floyd Garner was born on January 16, 1922, in Muncie, Delaware County, Indiana. He was the son of Sherman Horace Garner and Effa Mae Brees Mullen. He was married to Margaret Eileen Snodgrass Brown. He enlisted in the service on August 27, 1943. He served in the 602nd Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, as a Staff Sergeant and Waist Gunner of B-17 #42-97387 nicknamed ''Maude an Maria'' during World War II.

On February 3, 1945, during a bombing mission over Berlin, the Maude an' Maria was involved in a mid-air collision with another B-17, serial number 43-38697, from the 603rd Bomb Squadron. The collision occurred approximately an hour after bombs were released, and both aircraft crashed near Lehmke, close to Gardelegen, Germany. Of the ten crew members aboard Maude an' Maria, seven were killed in action, and the remaining three survived the crash and were captured, becoming prisoners of war.

SSgt Garner was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Beech Grove Cemetery, Muncie, Delaware County, Indiana, USA. William F. Garner's name is inscribed on the Anstey Window Memorial in Panel 2 (center), on Butterfly 7, in the bottom right wing (section D).

Source of information: www.americanairmuseum.com, www.398th.org