William T. "Bill" Ambrose

William T. 'Bill' Ambrose, 67
GORHAM -- After a very brief but courageous battle with cancer, Bill went home to the Lord on March 14, 2012, with his wife, Gail, by his side.
Bill was born on Feb. 17, 1945, in the Bronx, N.Y., to Ernest and Jessie (Schmidt) Ambrose. Bill was born during a blizzard; his mother had to be driven to the hospital in a garbage truck.
Bill attended the High School of Art and Design, graduating in 1962 after studying architectural design and drawing. He continued his education at The City College of New York graduating with a degree in psychology. Graduate studies in clinical and school psychology soon followed.
During the Vietnam War, male teachers were in high demand and Bill went to work at P.S. 104, an inner city elementary school in the Bronx teaching disadvantaged children in grades four through six. He taught in this extremely challenging environment for 32 years, teaching his students to go beyond what they learned in the classroom. Two of his students collected enough money to purchase a telescope that they kept on the roof of their apartment building to look at the night sky after Bill taught some lessons in astronomy. Bill later ran the computer lab at P.S. 126, Bronx, before retiring. After his retirement, he became a mentor to new teachers.
In his second year of teaching, Bill met his wife, Gail, who taught music in the same school. They were married in 1973. Because Gail's father was originally from Maine, in 2002 they moved to Gorham.
Bill became quite involved in the community and loved living in Gorham. He served on the Board of Trustees for the Cressey Road (formerly School Street) United Methodist Church for five years, including three as president. During his time on the Board, the church sold the parsonage and the School Street Church while building the new church on Cressey Road. For eight years Bill volunteered for the Gorham Times covering local news, specifically, improvements to town roads.
William T. 'Bill' Ambrose
76 State Street, Gorham
www.dolbyfuneralchapels.com
Bill was a lifelong fan of the New York Yankees and the New York Giants. The Giants' win in the most recent Super Bowl really lifted his spirits. He also enjoyed Formula One racing and loved to read history, politics and English mysteries as well as books about railroads, particularly the New York Central Railroad. He also enjoyed gardening.
He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Gail; a son, Christopher Nealy of Venice, Calif.; his mother-in-law, Lillian Stevens of Portland; his sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Sharon and Steve Sabo of Leland, N.C.; and his special nieces, Tara Sabo Attwood and her husband Morgan and son Eli of Gainesville, Fla., Tiffany Sabo of Queens, N.Y., and Amy Pitruzzello and husband Michael and daughters Ava and Maya of East Lyme, Conn. He is also survived by several cousins.
We are grateful for the special care given to Bill by his doctors, Dr. Gary Green and Dr. Devon Evans and the VNA Home Health and Hospice staff, especially his nurse, Kathy.
There will be a time of visitation from 4 to 7 p.m. on Friday, March 30, at the Cressey Road United Methodist Church, followed by a memorial service in celebration of Bill's life on Saturday, March 31, at 11 a.m. at the church with Pastor Linwood Arnold officiating.
In lieu of flowers, Bill requested donations be made to:
The Cressey Road United Methodist Church Parsonage Fund
P.O. Box 607
Gorham, Maine 04038
You may also contribute to the American Cancer Society's 2012 Relay For Life at USM by making a donation to Bill's Team/
Gorham Times at http://main.acsevents.org/goto/ GorhamTimes
or VNA Hospice
50 Foden Rd.
South Portland, Maine 04106