William John Higgins, 83 of Newark Delaware, passed peacefully on October 8, 2024, after a brief illness. He is proceeded in death by his wife Anne Marie Higgins (nee McDonnell) and his parents William and Rachel Higgins. He was the devoted father of Christopher and Kathleen, father-in-law to Janine and loving grandfather to Thomas.  Born in Brooklyn New York on December 25, 1940, William attended Brooklyn Preparatory School and later St. Francis College where he majored in Chemistry. He was a member of the Phi Ro Pi fraternity. After graduation William embarked on a fifty-year career in the chemical industry working for many firms and was eventually appointed president of Filo Chemical Corporation in 1973 where he became part owner. After the sale of the company in the early 1980’s, William remained with the firm as president until the mid-1990’s when he decided to open his own consulting business. He was known to be smart, honest and loyal to his customers and clients. He traveled extensively during his career for both business and pleasure.  William and his wife Anne loved to travel both internationally and in the United States during their fifty-year marriage. Favorite destinations included Germany, France, Ireland and road trip vacations to the Blue Ridge Mountains. However, they always vacationed on the North Fork of Long Island every year during the summer, which was one of their favorite places. William was a parishioner of Blessed Sacrament when he resided on Staten Island and was active in the Titan League as both a coach and umpire, which he enjoyed doing very much. He was known for his compassion on the baseball field and basketball court and had a knack to teach a special skill to a player to make them better. William was a lifelong fan of the San Francisco Giants going back to the days when they played at the Polo Grounds. He would recount fond memories of when he was a child attending games with his parents. Another memorable trip was when he and his son attended a three-game series in 2011 when the Giants played the Dodgers in San Francisco.  Much to everyone’s shock, William went skydiving with his daughter Kathleen when he was seventy-five, this was one of his favorite memories. William also enjoyed reading, classic movies, and was a history buff.

A celebration of William’s life will be held on Monday, December 16, 2024, at 11:00 AM at Saint John the Baptist Church on 200 East Main Street, Newark, DE 19711.  Friends and family may begin visiting at 10:00 AM.  Burial will be held privately.  In lieu of flowers a donation to the Tunnel to Towers Organization or The Wounded Warrior Project is requested.