William Ford

Obituary For William Ford

William "Bill" Grant Ford, Jr., 95, a resident of Jacksonville since 1986, departed this life surrounded by family in Roswell, GA on Monday, May 13th. Bill graduated from Old Stanton High School. He was a Chief Warrant Officer in the Army and served for over 20 years in Okinawa, Japan, the Philippines, Korea, Germany, and the United States.

After retiring from the military, the family relocated to St. Louis, MO, where Bill worked for the Department of Defense. Bill had a passion for the game of golf and shared this with inner-city youth in Jacksonville.

He enlisted volunteers and began a Hook A Kid on Golf program. Bill was later appointed to the Board of The First Tee, a World Golf Foundation organization created to provide affordable and accessible golf facilities for Black and Hispanic youth. Bill was inducted into the National Black Golf Hall of Fame in 2002. He was also an active member of the Jacksonville Golfers' Guild and the Royal Vagabonds, Inc. Bill was a member of Woodlawn Presbyterian Church and served as a Trustee. He leaves to cherish his memory a loving wife of 62 years, Anita; children, Felomina (George) Patton, COL (RET) Anthony S. (Alcelia) Ford, Denise (Leonard) Tennessee, and Michael Ford; 6 grandchildren; his favorite aunt, Narcissus Jackson; as well as a host of other relatives and friends. Visitation will be held today from 6-8 PM at the church. A service of celebration will be held on Friday, 11:00 AM at Woodlawn Presbyterian Church, 3026 Woodlawn Road, Jacksonville.

Interment: Jacksonville National Cemetery, with full military honors. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Woodlawn Presbyterian Church Youth Program. POSTELL'S MORTUARY, Orlando, FL (assisted by James Graham Mortuary) is providing service for the Ford family.