William S. "Bill" Fox Jr.

William S. "Bill" Fox, Jr.

April 29, 1939 - December 30, 2025

William S. Fox, Jr, aka Bill Fox of Manor Pharmacy in New Castle, DE died in his kitchen while making a fresh pot of coffee for his wife on the morning of December 30, 2025.

He died suddenly. He was astute, mobile, funny, independent, and happily alive until the moment he wasn't.

Which is exactly the way he would have preferred it.

Bill was born in New York City, NY, one of three siblings and dozens of cousins in a loving Irish Catholic family. He lived in Boston between the ages of 4 and 14, where he became a newspaper boy on the corner of South Station, shouting the headlines out to commuters and passerby on cold New England evenings. When the family moved to Delaware, he became a freshman at Wilmington High School, but when his mother found out he wanted to take a Drama class because of a cute girl, he was marched right over to Salesianum and immediately enrolled. Thus freed of female distraction, he became Student Council president at Sallies and went on to Philadelphia School of Pharmacy.

He bought Manor Pharmacy with several partners and began a 50 year career as New Castle's most beloved pharmacist. He hadn't quite lost his eye for the ladies, however, and when he saw Pat Cummings at a DuPont Country Club dance, he was completely smitten. They dated for several years, but she kept breaking up with him because he was too "fresh." When she finally accepted his marriage proposal, her mother broke down in tears and said, "I prayed so hard for this."

From the moment he saw her at that dance until the moment he closed his eyes forever, Pat was the single greatest love of his life.

They went on to have five children together. He enjoyed his work tremendously; so much so that he started employing his children at Manor Pharmacy from about their age of 12. His philosophy was: if you could stand on a box to reach the register and count out change, you could work. Over the years, several blizzards resulted in Bill walking through two feet of snow to open Manor Pharmacy, his children grumpily following him. With his built-in family team, even the soda fountain and the delivery boy could operate on time, no matter what the weather.

His work ethic extended to national service; he retired as a LtCol in the Delaware Air National Guard. The only time his wife ever saw him shed a tear was when he was leaving home en route to deployment for Operation Desert Storm. His home, and his wife, were everything to him.

After retirement, he settled into a very relaxing schedule of coffee…book…pipe….repeat. Sitting on his porch, surrounded by a halo of Borkhum Riff, coffee on the table and book in hand, Bill Fox was the personification of happiness. The only troubles he ever bothered to mention were the ever-fattening squirrels that thieved birdseed from his feeders ("those DAMN squirrels!") and Pat's insistence on moving things from where he last placed them (at least three or four weeks prior to him noticing.)

Only a few things were worth leaving his home-castle. One of those things was any event that involved a grandchild; for those he would be enthusiastically present. Even on the rainiest days, he and Pat would sit in their lawn chairs under big umbrellas to watch football, tennis, rugby, water polo, baseball…the list goes on. He clapped loudest at the musicals, stood proudest at the graduations.

He loved pizza and stromboli at Porto Fino's, his grandchildren's baking, falling asleep in his easy chair, old movies at 2 am, the sound of his wife singing in the car, black jeans and flannel shirts.

But mostly, he loved his family and friends. And they all – to a one – loved him back, fiercely.

He is survived by his loving wife, Pat; daughters, Maureen Sylvester (Todd), Suzanne Short (Bruce), Nancy Gise (Jim); his son, Joe Fox; his sister, Kathleen Fox Hackett (Dave); and eight grandchildren (Hannah, Henry, Grace, Abby, Caroline, Sam, Saxton and Julia.)

In addition to his parents, Bill was predeceased by his son, Billy.

A visitation for family and friends will be held from 9:30 am until 11 am on Wednesday, January 7, 2026 at St. Peter the Apostle Roman Catholic Church, 521 Harmony Street, New Castle, DE, where a Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at 11 am. Interment will follow in the adjoining cemetery.

If he had his choice, he would suggest in lieu of flowers that people consider any organization which targets gluttonous squirrels. Barring that, he was a lifelong supporter of St. Peter the Apostle Church, and would be pleased to see donations there at the address listed above.