William James Forehand Jr.

William James Forehand, Jr., lovingly known as Papa, passed away peacefully on June 25 at his home in Wilmington, NC, surrounded by his loved ones.
He was born in 1930 at home on a small family farm to William and Thelma Forehand in Colerain, NC. In 1952 he graduated from Wake Forest College with a BS degree in chemistry, married his high school sweetheart, Sue Carol Perry (Gran) and embarked on a distinguished 39-year career with Dupont. His textile expertise afforded opportunities to live and travel to many places allowing his family to experience customs and cultures around the world. Wilmington, NC became their final home.
In retirement, Gran and Papa frequently returned to Colerain to garden. Much pleasure was had sharing the harvest with family and friends. William was a devoted member and deacon of Temple Baptist Church and enjoyed teaching Sunday School.
While he held many titles and accomplished much in his 95 years, he unequivocally regarded his marriage of 73 years and his four daughters as his greatest achievement. Ahead of his time, he wrote the blueprint for "girl dad". Leading by example, William and Sue instilled in their children, work ethic, humility, perseverance and the belief nothing was out of reach. His pride in his daughters' accomplishments and confidence in their abilities was evident.
William is survived by his wife, Sue, a sister Eunice Kozak and four daughters, Cindy Layton, CRNA (Lon), Lena Eldridge, DDS (John), Mary Forehand, MD (Craig), Billie Cosgrove, MD (Chris), nine grandchildren and four greatgrandchildren.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Temple Baptist Church or Lower Cape Fear LifeCare.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, July 12, 2025, at 11:00am at Wilmington Funeral & Cremation, with a time for William's family to receive visitors before and after service.
Please leave memories and condolences for William's family under "Share a Memory".
Care and services entrusted to Wilmington Funeral & Cremation - Wilmington Chapel - 1535 S. 41st Street Wilmington, NC 28403 910.791.9099 To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of William, please visit our floral store.To make a memorial donation, please visit the donations section of this obituary.