Final Salute

Wilfred Lewis Painter Jr., known to family and friends as Wil, passed away on July 8, 2026 at the age of 79 in Everett, Washington. He was born on December 28, 1946 in San Francisco, California.

Wil graduated from Princeton University in 1967 with a degree in Civil Engineering. On campus, he earned Varsity letters in both football and fencing, was an active member of the Princeton Tower Club, and was selected as Cadet Commander of Princeton’s USAF ROTC unit — an early sign of the discipline and leadership that would define his life. Following graduation, Wil served as a Captain in the United States Air Force from 1967 to 1971, including a tour of duty in Vietnam. He later returned to military service, this time in the United States Navy, where he served as a Commander and SeaBee civil engineer from 1981 to 1998, including deployment to the Persian Gulf during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Over the course of his military career, Wil earned the Bronze Star and the Navy Achievement Medal, commendations that reflected both his technical
skill and his character under pressure.

Wil’s civilian career as an engineering and construction manager spanned five decades and took him across the country and beyond — from Alaska to Los Angeles, to Hawaii and Las Vegas. He built an extraordinary body of work, including several of the major structures at the Los Angeles Staples Center — among them the Basketball Arena and the Convention Center — as well as the Getty Museum Tramway, the Universal Studios Parking Garage, the Cal State Channel Islands Broome Library, and the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He was especially proud of his innovative work on the MGM Grand Parking Garage in Las Vegas, for which he received awards and recognition for pioneering new pre-cast, pre-stressed concrete support structures. He made Fellow with the American Society of Civil Engineers .Even in semi-retirement, Wil couldn’t stay away from a good project, going on to lead several major, multi-year college stadium construction projects. He also volunteered his engineering expertise abroad through Engineers Without Borders, working on projects in the Dominican Republic and Ghana.

Above all, Wil loved this country and considered his years of military service among the greatest honors of his life. He was a car enthusiast and racer for sixty years and treasured his prized Alfa Romeo “Giulia.” He was devoted to his family, his many friends, and his dogs.

Wil was married first to Diane Jones Painter, whom he wed at Andrews Air Force Base while serving in the USAF. He later married Mary Painter née Dvorak at the Princeton University Chapel, with whom he had two daughters and two grandsons.

Those who knew Wil remember him as deeply honorable and loyal, whip-smart with a mind like a steel trap, and possessed of a dry sense of humor — especially the classic “Dad” kind. He was, in every sense, a man devoted to serving his family, his friends, and his country.

Wil is survived by his wife Mary Painter née Dvorak, his daughters Gallia Painter
Mackinnon and Katherine Painter, and his two grandsons, Iain and Eoin Mackinnon. He also left behind his brother Roy Douglas Painter and sister Ana Cox Chatellier.

For more information on his life, visit his military obituary at https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/WILFREDLPAINTERJR/ad07b9
Published on Legacy.com August 16, 2026

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