DECATUR, Ga. — William F. Cummins III, age 79, former resident of Fort Bragg, Calif., died Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012.

Bill was born Nov. 20, 1932, in Vicksburg, the eldest of three children of William F. Cummins II and Alice Hunt Magruder. Bill received a Bachelor of Science in physics from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1954 and a master’s degree from Yale in 1956. Bill was a brilliant physicist who spent his entire career working in the field of nuclear fusion research at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, Calif. He was an avid ham radio operator, continuously active for more than 65 years, and a member of the San Francisco Bay Area U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

Bill is survived by his three children and their spouses, Alice Bush (Rick) of Shawnee, Kan., William D. Cummins (Donna) of Decatur and Charles Cummins (Susan) of Lilburn, Ga.; former wife, Mary Alice Cummins of Atlanta; brothers, John Pickett Cummins (Betsy) of Lawrenceville, Ga., and Edmund Cummins (Maxine) of Buford, Ga.; his stepsister, Gloria Dale Cummins of Kennewick, Wash.; five grandchildren, Lee Bush (Millie) of Milwaukee, Wis., Jim Bush (Amy) of Kansas City, Kan., Bonnie Bush of Kansas City and Caleb and Christopher Cummins of Lilburn, Ga.; his great-grandson, Benjamin Bush; and many nieces and nephews.

Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service celebrating the life of William F. Cummins III on Wednesday, March 7, 2012, at 1 p.m. at A.S. Turner & Sons Funeral Home.