William Howard Vanderhoof

William Howard ("Bill") Vanderhoof, 91, died on October 15, 2025 in Princeton, New Jersey.
Bill grew up in Bloomfield, New Jersey, where after graduating from high school, he enrolled at Susquehanna University. At Susquehanna, Bill was an active member of the school community, competing in athletics, acting in student productions and serving as president of his fraternity. There, in German class, where seating was alphabetical, he met his future wife, Audrey Vollman. Their marriage took place the afternoon of his graduation, May 28, 1955. At the time of his death, they had been married for 70 years.
Bill was the first member of his family to graduate from college. After graduation, he joined the US Army, briefly serving with the 101st Airborne Division before transferring to the Counter Intelligence Corps.
Following his service, Bill pursued graduate studies at Bucknell University and SUNY Geneseo, earning a master's degree in education from the latter, where he also joined the faculty.
In 1969, Bill and Audrey moved with their three children to Fort Worth, Texas, where Bill had been offered a position by Texas Christian University. He was an esteemed professor and colleague in TCU's School of Education for more than 35 years through his retirement in 2004, including serving as President of the Faculty Senate. For several summers, he enjoyed presenting seminars on the philosophy of education, supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
After retirement, Bill and Audrey achieved a life-long dream by opening a used bookstore, The Literary Lion, in Stephenville, Texas. Bill's commercial success as a bookseller may have been impaired by his reluctance to part from any of the (many) books that he acquired. His love of books and learning generally were passed down to his children and grandchildren and shared with many friends.
For decades, Bill and Audrey spent summers in their native Northeast, including at their cabin in the Adirondacks. These summer campaigns began and ended with multi-day road trips to and from Texas, which continued well into their eighties. After Bill suffered a stroke in 2018, their travels were more limited, but they maintained the family home in Fort Worth until 2024, when they moved full-time to Princeton.
Bill was pre-deceased by his parents, William Howard and Lillian Mae Sutton Vanderhoof, as well as his sister, Gwendolyn Vanderhoof Remppies. He is survived by his wife, Audrey Vanderhoof; his brother, Bruce Vanderhoof; his daughter, Joy Vanderhoof, and her husband, Bruce Dyleski; his son, Charles Vanderhoof; his son, William (Wim) Vanderhoof, and his wife, Sarah Zimmerman; his granddaughter and grandson, Julia and Kai Vanderhoof; and a loving family circle including nieces and nephews.
Funeral services will be private.
Arrangements are by the Mather-Hodge Funeral Home 40 Vandeventer Avenue Princeton, NJ 08542.