- Date Of Birth: March 4, 1941
- Date Of Death: August 16, 2020
- State: Maryland
William “Bill” Thomas Wilson, Sr.
Bill was born on March 4, 1941 in Milton, Delaware to Frank and Mary Ann (Fleming) Wilson.
As a young teen growing up in the Highlandtown community, Bill would meet a young girl by the name of Rose Chucoski at an Our Lady of Fatima carnival where he asked her to go on the ferris wheel with him, but she said no. Soon thereafter, while Rose was home, she heard a knock at the door and there was Bill selling raffle tickets for his baseball team, the Green Hornets. Needless to say, Rose didn’t buy any tickets from him. It seems that the third time was a charm, as Bill and Rose eventually found themselves at the same local dance where Bill asked Rose to dance with him and she FINALLY said yes. Bill and Rose would have celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary on August 27, 2020.
Together, he and Rose raised four children: Laura (Joel), Bill Jr., Wayne, and Scott (Debra) in the Foxridge neighborhood where many neighbors became lifelong friends. Bill and Rose also have ten grandchildren: Jessica, Amanda, Wayne, Cameron, Craig, Rebecca, Garrett, Cody, Alex, and Eric. They have one great grandchild arriving in October 2020.
He retired from Bethlehem Steel in Sparrows Point, MD where he worked as a Time Study Operator for many years. He also loved playing the drums and was in several bands over the years playing in both Washington D.C. and Baltimore.
Bill was an avid Baltimore sports fan, first rooting for the Baltimore Colts and later becoming an original season ticket holder for the Baltimore Ravens. He even had his own cheering section at home games where he was nicknamed “Maddog Willy”. He also watched every Orioles game that he could.
Bill was devoted to the Essex community and was one of the original founders of the Back River Football program where he served as a coach for little league baseball and football for many years. He and Rose spent countless hours fundraising to ensure the youth had everything they needed to be a successful team. Most importantly, he is credited for being a positive role model and great mentor to many in the community who played for him who still talk about their Coach Bill to this day.
Bill was loved and will be missed by many.
