William Vandever

William Vandever

At the age of 89, our dear Dad passed away on Aug. 26, 2012 with his family by his bedside.

"Bill" was the only son of William and Bertha Vandever. He was married to Sophia with whom he had three daughters; Barbara Ruggieri (Abramo), Janice DiEleuterio (Michael) and Linda Bariglio (Anthony). He has six grandchildren and 3 great grandsons.

Growing up in Wilmington, he worked at the Pennsylvania RR and then went on to serve his country in the US Army. He was a proud soldier in the European Theater seeing action in Normandy and the Battle of the Bulge. His memories of his experiences in WWII were amazing recollections of that era that he loved to share with family and friends. Dad was also a retired firefighter from the Wilmington Fire Department. He enjoyed football, especially the Delaware Blue Hens, and baseball, being on the winning team of the 1939 Delaware State Champions. He was also a long time Boston Red Sox fan since the days of Ted Williams whom he was lucky enough to witness some of his most notable accomplishments. He was kind to all animals and could often be seen feeding the birds at Trolley Square. He was a gentle man, soft spoken and easy going, and in spite of his severe hearing loss and blindness, he never complained. He enjoyed his lunches at Kozy Korner with his daughters, having the newspaper read to him, and taking his daily walks around the block. Simple pleasures for a simple man.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude for the loving hands and excellent care Dad received from the 2nd floor staff at Gilpin Hall and Compassionate Care Hospice.

A viewing will be held on Wednesday, August 29th from 10:00 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at CHARLES P. ARCARO FUNERAL HOME located at 2309 Lancaster Avenue, Wilmington, DE and a service immediately following. Burial will take place at Gracelawn Memorial Park, 2220 N. DuPont Highway in New Castle, DE.

In place of flowers, it was Dad's wish to have donations made to the Delaware Humane Association, 701 A Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 to be used to help fund a brand new shelter for the animals.

www.arcarofuneralhome.com

(302) 658-9095