William Ogden Appleton

Blessed. Beloved. Legacy.
William Ogden Appleton was born December 2, 1932, in Pittsburgh, PA, the Keystone State. He died peacefully at his Del Mar, CA, home on February 7, 2012, attended by family – two months following his 79th birthday. He was husband to his beloved wife, Patricia (Pat), and the son of Sidonia and George Appleton of Pittsburgh (both deceased). Bill was the youngest of three boys, with the oldest George (deceased) and Robert of Gettysburg, PA.
Beloved husband, father, grandfather and brother, Bill was the patriarch of a large, close-knit family – his greatest treasure. Known for his strong commitment to Christian values, Bill is survived and will be dearly missed by his wife of 56 years, Pat; as well as his children, Julie Appleton Watson, P. Michael Appleton, Jennifer Kay (Mark) Goldenhersh, Edward George (Kristi) Appleton, Jacqueline Appleton (Ed) Deane, and John Christian (Janis) Appleton. He is also survived by 13 grandchildren, Heather Goldenhersh (Brian) O'Byrne, Brandon Appleton, Samantha Goldenhersh, Bryant Watson, Jacqueline "JC" Appleton, Christopher Watson, Ivy Deane, Mackenzie Appleton, Josephine Goldenhersh, Jack Deane, Julianna Kate Appleton, William S. Appleton and Catherine Appleton; two great-grandchildren, Molly O'Byrne and Oona O'Byrne; brother, Robert (Kay) Appleton; and sister-in-law, Lois Appleton.
Bill's light eccentricities made life fun for those around him. He enjoyed good food and wine accompanied by conversation.
Bill attended Penn State, where he graduated in 1955 with a degree in Industrial Engineering. A passionate Nittany Lion, he remained a loyal football fan the rest of his life. Bill also found time to be President of the Del Mar Little League in the early 1970s, which pleased his three sons; he also coached Pop-Warner football. Bill was very involved with his church throughout his life. He took pleasure in reading and beautiful music, as well as working with model trains and golfing with family.
He left Pennsylvania the same year he graduated, married dear Pat, and moved to Southern California to put his engineering degree to work; he made his home in Del Mar since 1971. Bill was a partner in Amayer Incorporated, an electronic sales and service company from 1971 to 1982. He retired in 1999 from NASSCO, a shipbuilder for commercial customers and the U.S. Navy, located on San Diego Bay.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the American Heart Association (www.heart.org), a nonprofit organization with the mission of building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. There is a William Ogden Appleton memorial page on the website. Thank you for helping perpetuate Bill's legacy.