William “Bill” Harley Beckett age 85 years of Mickleton, NJ died Sunday October 21, 2018 in Deptford Center for Rehab & Healthcare, Deptford, NJ, after a short illness. Bill was born in Akron, Ohio, where he lived for the first twenty-three years of his life. He graduated from Buchtel High School in 1951 and entered the University of Akron in 1952 where he graduated in 1956 with a Degree in Engineering.
Bill’s engineering work was at General Motors in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and for over forty years at RCA (later purchased by GE) in Moorestown, NJ. As a project engineer he worked on guidance systems for intercontinental missiles and design of missiles and spacecraft tracking systems. He later became the Engineering Project Manager of a GE section in charge of developing computer programs for Navy projects; retiring in 1993.
Bill’s volunteer work included serving on a county committee that worked with juveniles who have had minor offenses with the law, and helping people prepare their income taxes. He served as Corresponding Secretary for a local senior citizens group, and more recently was on the board of the East Greenwich Commission on Senior Services and the Country Walk maintenance association. He was also a member of the Buchtel High School class reunion committee.
Bill was very involved in genealogy, where he tracked records of family members from long ago. He was an avid reader, gardener and enjoyed traveling in this country and abroad. He is survived by his wife, Joann (Jo) White; his daughter, Linda Sharon Hitchcock of Henderson, Nevada; his son, Bill James Beckett of Voorhees; his grandchildren, Rebecca Hitchcock Wilde, Heather Hitchcock and Jonathan Hitchcock; his great grandchildren, Caitlyn Rebecca Wilde, Chase Allen Wilde, Cody William Wilde, Jude Jonathan Hitchcock, Jacob Jefferson Hitchcock and Lila Rose Hitchcock; his sisters, Patricia Schleicher and Barbara DeCrane, both of Akron, Ohio and many loving nieces and nephews.
Bill was predeceased by his first wife, Bettie. A Memorial Service will be held at 11 AM Wednesday November 7, 2018 in the McBride – Foley Funeral Home, 228 W. Broad St., Paulsboro, NJ. Relatives and friends may visit with the family Wednesday morning after 10 AM until service time.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in his memory to the William Beckett Endowed Scholarship Fund in Engineering at the University of Akron, Department of Development, Akron, OH 44325-2603. Memories can be shared at www. mcbridefoleyfh.com.
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