William "Buddy" Cornett Jr.

William B. Cornett, III, better known as Buddy, passed away unexpectedly in his home on or before July 13, 2021. He was a long time resident of Spokane, and was often seen with his German Shepherd, Endie. Buddy was born July 13, 1956, in Augsburg, Germany. He was a football standout at Seventy-First High School, and received a football scholarship to Fayetteville State University. He was also a hunting and fishing enthusiast.

He joined the Army after college, earned airborne wings, and, what he was most proud of, the coveted Ranger Tab. He served in both 1st and 3rd Ranger Battalions, and was a Ranger School Instructor for the Jungle Phase. Buddy also served as a scout in the 1st-505th Parachute Infantry, 82nd Airborne Division. In this unit, he earned the Expert Infantryman Badge, and participated in the liberation of Grenada, earning the Combat Infantryman Badge. His other tours include Hawaii, where he earned the Air Assault Badge, and was an instructor at the 25th Infantry Division Air Assault School and Light Fighter Course. From Hawaii, he transferred to Fort Lewis, where he served as an Assistant Patrol Leader for the 1st Corp's Long Range Reconnaissance Unit, in the 109th Military Intelligence Battalion. He left the Regular Army and served in the Washington National Guard in a field hospital unit where he also fought forest fires. He moved first to Newman Lake, then to Spokane, and soon became a regular at Happy Time Bar and Grill. Buddy was always known as a good, happy-go-lucky type of man.

He was preceded in death by his father, William B. Cornett, Jr., and leaves behind his mother, Ruby, of Fayetteville, sons William B. IV of Parkton, and Thomas (Rebecca) of Wake Forest, all of NC; daughter Genevieve (Chris Smith), of St. Louis, MO; five grandchildren; brother Jean Wolf, of Authe, France, and sisters Patricia (Michael Fuhrman) of Wytheville, VA, and Ella Cornett, of Ramseur, NC.

Visitation will be 1:00-2:00 PM Friday, August 13, 2021 at LaFayette Funeral Home, 6651 Raeford Rd. Fayetteville, NC 28304.

Funeral Service with Military Honors will begin at 2:00 PM with Minister James Blount officiating.

Burial will follow at a later date.