William M Humphrey, Jr. ... active in ministry

DOVER - William M Humphrey, Jr., of Dover, died on March 27 in Dover.

He was the son of William M. Humphrey, Sr. and Daisy M.(Burt) Humphrey, born in Brewton, Ala. He always talked about how this little town produced the coolest and smartest people. He left Brewton at an early age to attend Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., where he earned a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Chemistry. He headed north for graduate school, where he attended Case Institute of Technology in Cleveland, Ohio. There he met his wife Joan where they married and began their family.

His journey led him further north, first to Rochester, N.Y., where they added to their family, and finally to Dover, where they raised their children. He thought that 52 years in Dover almost made him a native, emphasis on "almost."

He began working for Davidson Rubber company in 1971 and worked there through its various iterations, where he earned several patents. He was there until its last days. While at Davidson/Textron, he earned a Master's Degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California.

Bill was fortunate enough to have two professions that he loved, first as a urethane chemist and then the ministry. He was a man of faith, becoming a member of St. John's United Methodist Church in 1978. He served there in many capacities. He was also an active participant in the United Methodist New England Conference, serving as a district lay leader, and serving on other boards and committees. He was called into pastoral ministry and began working towards becoming a Licensed Local Pastor. In 2005, he was appointed to St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Kittery, Maine, as a local pastor where he served for 15 years. After retiring Bill was happy to return to St. John's, our church home.
On a personal note, Bill loved NPR, reading, and made a trip to the Dover Library at least once a week. He also enjoyed all genres of music. His kids both have degrees in music, and they always wanted their father at competitions, etc.; he was their calming presence. He was a BJ enthusiast; he was always heading down to BJ's. He was a tackler of crossword puzzles, especially the Sunday Globe. Spring and fall-yard cleanups were always topics of conversations, e.g., how many bags he filled or how many trips he made to the Recycling Center.

Bill was predeceased by his parents, two brothers, Henry and James, and one sister Georgia Ann, sister-in-love Patricia Anderson, brothers-in-love, Gerald Anderson (Daphne) and Howard Croft (Cynthia)

He is survived by his wife, Joan, two children, William M., III (Jessica) Nikki Kirsch (Fred), grandchildren, Connor, Cecilia, and Claudia, sisters, Mary Paul, Doris Lucas, sisters-in-love, Terry Moore (Detra), brothers-in-love Bill Anderson (Cheryl) and Gary Miller. He also leaves nieces and nephews that he loved dearly and many cousins, who he equally loved.