Who is Bill Anders wife Valerie Hoard?

WHEN William ‘Bill’ Anders returned home from the Apollo 8 space mission in 1968, his loving wife, Valerie Anders, was waiting for him.

On June 7, 2024, it was announced that the former astronaut, who was one of the first three people to travel to the Moon, had passed away and now many want to know more about his family.

Who is William Anders wife Valerie?

In 1955, Bill married Valerie.

Not much is known about Valerie’s personal life before her high-profile marriage, and although she often tries to stay out of the spotlight, in the 1960s, her family was in the spotlight because of her husband’s career.

“We were very much in the public eye and no one was trained for that,” she recalled during an interview with PBS.

“We were not trained for parades. Our children were not trained for the public view that has become part of their lives.”

While Bill trained for his historic mission alongside Jim Lovell and the late Frank Borman, Valerie stayed home with the couple’s children.

“The astronaut wives’ ‘right thing’ mostly meant that you stayed home and took the responsibility off your husband so he could function in his world, which was a very competitive world,” Valerie continued.

“So we were there to do whatever was necessary. However, I was surprised by how many people thought we had some kind of special help, because we didn’t.

“We were military wives, we formed a corps of wives; We were close, but there was no psychological help; There was no one preparing us for this life.”

In addition to being known as Bill’s wife, Valerie is also known for co-founding the Anders Foundation alongside her late husband.

What was the cause of Bill Anders’ death?

Bill retired from the Air Force Reserve in 1988 and later moved to Orcas Island in 1993 with his wife.

He spent the latter part of his life with his wife, children and grandchildren, although his passion for flying never faded.

The Apollo 8 crew member owned a former Air Force T-34 Mentor, which tragically crashed on June 7, 2024, according to Fox 13.

Bill, who was 90 years old at the time of the accident, was identified as a driver soon after by his son, Greg Anders, who called him “a great driver” who “will be missed.”

At this time, additional details about the crash are unclear.

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How many children do Bill and Valerie have?

Between 1957 and 1972, Bill and Valerie welcomed six children, Alan, Glen, Gregory, Eric, Gayle and Daina.

In addition to six children, the couple has 13 grandchildren.

During Valerie’s PBS interview, she recalled what it was like raising her children while her husband was away, explaining, “You were actually a single mom during the week.”

She continued: “…when the men returned home in [weekend] in their T-38s [airplanes] they arrived and their first obligation was to go to the Managed Spacecraft Center office and catch up on their correspondence, do their office business and then come back and spend time with their family in the time left over from the weekend, which was usually at the end Saturday afternoon and throughout Sunday.

Despite having a prominent father, Anders’ children have remained out of the spotlight over the years and additional details about their personal lives remain unclear.