William H Ford

William Horning Ford, age 88 of Bear, DE and South Bethany, DE, passed away peacefully in the comfort of his home on March 19, 2021, with his loving wife by his side. Bill was born in Corvallis, OR, and moved to Wilmington as an infant. He grew up in Carrcroft, Brandywine Hundred, graduated from P. S. DuPont High School, attended the Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD, and received a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware where he was a life-long member of Sigma Nu Fraternity. He was an Eagle Scout in Sea Scout Ship Ruben James in Bellefonte and was later an outstanding Scoutmaster. Bill enjoyed camping, hiking, skiing, cooking on his grill, home remodeling, gardening, boating, swimming, traveling (especially to Arizona, Florida, and St. Thomas, USVI), reading and relaxing at his beach house and at pool-side. He had a quick and funny wit about him which those who loved and knew him well understood and enjoyed. He was a stalwart, solid, hard-working, and reliable presence in our lives, and he had an endearing smile and a wink that could melt your heart. Bill retired from the DuPont Company in 1993 after more than 36 years of service. He was a consultant at Edison Plastics for 3 years following his career at DuPont. He was predeceased by his parents Stanley G. Ford and Louise H. Ford, and his sister Diane Ford Rumbley. Bill is survived by his wife of over 31 years Carol Gilbert Ford, brother-in-law Roger Raymond Gilbert of Sugar Land, TX, daughter Candace J. Ford (Mike Welch) of Hermosa Beach, CA; son Captain Richard Donald King, III (Jen) of Lewes, DE; granddaughter Sherry Ann Marie VanHekle (Kevin) of Townsend, DE, ; grandsons Matthew Ford Welch & Andrew Ford Welch of Hermosa Beach, CA, & great grandsons Kevin Jacob VanHekle, Jr. and Lee Axton VanHekle of Townsend, DE, nieces and nephews, cousins, numerous friends, and other children and grandchildren. A sincere thank you to the highly professional and compassionate staff at Vitas Healthcare for their excellent care they gave to Bill and their support to Carol & family. . In lieu of flowers, please consider Bill's wishes of contributions to his two great grandsons' education funds to: Edward Jones, attn. Steven Lucas, 1601 Milltown Road, Suite 5, Wilmington, DE 19808.