Willard Davis (Bill) Altman, Ph.D., died peacefully June 27, 2026, in Knoxville, Tenn., at Fort Sanders Regional Hospital.
He was born Nov. 9, 1946, to Willard Delos and Elizabeth Stanger Altman and grew up in Blacksburg. There, he was active in high school, serving on student council, playing football and graduating as a proud member of the Class of 1964. Dr. Altman attended Virginia Tech, where he majored in mathematics and graduated in just three years at the top of his class. His pursuit of a doctoral degree at the University of Virginia was interrupted by service in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War, where he was awarded two Bronze Stars. He later completed his Ph.D. at the University of Virginia in 1975. He was chosen to be a member of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most selective collegiate honor society.
Bill married Judith Bickley in 1970, and they lived in Maryland and later Virginia while he worked at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Washington D.C. They and their children moved to Tracy, California in 1986 while he worked at Lawrence Livermore National Lab. They then moved to Oak Ridge, Tennessee in 1990, where he worked at several plants at Oak Ridge National Lab including K-25, X-10, and Y-12. Dr. Altman spent much of his professional career working as an engineer supporting the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and Lockheed Martin Energy Systems and their facilities in Oak Ridge Tennessee, Paducah Kentucky, and Portsmouth Ohio. He also supported operations and facilities at the Idaho National Laboratory in Idaho Falls, Idaho, the Savannah River Site in Aiken, South Carolina, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California. Dr. Altman was an expert in accident and incident investigations and was recognized for his talent in the conduct of the analyses and the summary reports issued.
Following his retirement, he devoted himself to his tree farm in South Carolina, where he immersed himself in nature and the local community. In 2012, the property was named South Carolina Tree Farm of the Year. He also became a Master Tree Farmer, Master Gardener and Master Naturalist through Clemson University programs.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his wife, Judith B. Altman, and his brother, Tom Altman. He is survived by his son, Jason Altman; daughter-in-law, Kristy Altman; grandsons, Jackson and Karson Altman; daughter, Christina Altman Gallaher; and granddaughter, Cassidy Grace Gallaher, all of Knoxville. He is also survived by his sister-in-law, Brenda Altman, and nephew, Scott Altman, of Clarksburg, Maryland, as well as his partner and lifelong friend, Joanna Gilmore Angle of Chester, South Carolina.
Those wishing to honor Bill’s memory are encouraged to plant a tree this fall, perhaps on Nov. 9, which would have been his 80th birthday; white oaks were his favorite. A service was held Thursday, July 9 at Eternal Life Harvest Center, 1801 Western Avenue, Knoxville, Tennessee.
Additionally, a Celebration of Life will be held at Purity Presbyterian Church, 135 Wylie Street, Chester, South Carolina Saturday, July 18 at 11 a.m. A meal will be served to all immediately following the Celebration of Life. Online condolences may be made to the family at www.barronfuneralhome.com.
