Wilbur William "Billy" Gould Sr.'s Obituary
Mr. Billy Gould’s Celebration of Life
My awesome Wilbur W. Gould Sr., aka “Billy” has beaten us to the punch once again. On the 28th of April, at Inspira Medical Center of Vineland, N.J., Billy made his great escape; crossing over to the other side and I am pretty sure he’s dancing.
The history of Gouldtown, N.J. changed forever on October 22nd, 1940, when the late Wilbur W. Gould Jr. and Marion Gould welcomed their firstborn, Billy Gould, into this wonderful world. Billy was a big brother to two younger siblings, Mark Gould and the late Jeff Gould. Billy spent his childhood running through the woods, most of the time away from someone; playing pranks on everyone, becoming sneaky enough to eavesdrop just to stir up some trouble. Eventually Billy decided to grow up just enough to become the man we came to love. He was a man of all trades who loved to work. In 1958, Billy managed to graduate from Bridgeton High School and just to get away from home he decided to join The United States Air Force where he was deployed to South Korea. After serving our nation for 4 years, he decided to bring the love back home where he married Amelia Davis and had three beautiful children. The loves of his life were Billy Gould, Mark Gould, and Michelle Deniece Gould. If there was one thing Billy could take pride in, it was his children, along with his grandchildren, William, Elijah, Jonathan, Benjamin and a little great granddaughter, Princess Kaleigha.
A few years down the road Billy was newly single and on the scene once again; and it was at Landis Park in Vineland, N.J. where I met my Billy. He was this handsome man with a little swing in his step. He always looked sharp and was usually talking trash. I guess we can say he had a way with words. At first, we became friends which made us closer. Billy was persistent because at first I did not want to be his girl; after some deliberation, Billy convinced me to give him a try. And believe it or not I, Ivonne M. Santiago Gould, fell in love with this amazing man. He never really called me Ivonne too much; he had a nickname for me: “Negrita”.
Billy held various jobs during his lifetime; first, working as a Master Carpenter with his parents’ construction business, little after, everyone wanted Billy to work on their projects. He was very proud of his skills. Then Billy decided to leave Pa & Ma’s business in pursuit of something with a little bit of danger, he became a Firefighter for the Federal Aviation Administration in Pomona, N.J., where his schemes became more elaborate. Later on Billy decided to go back to his craft and was a freelance Master Carpenter. He was always impressing people with his skills. He eventually landed a job with Gateway Community Action. Billy loved being a carpenter, but loved to mess with people even more. He quickly won over the hearts of his fellow coworkers. Now Billy was a big believer in giving back to his community. He served as a volunteer Firefighter for the Gouldtown Fire Company for 30 years. Little did people know that Billy was the fire; he was contagious, almost infectious, no one could really put him out. His memories are the flames that keep his legacy alive. Billy also loved to travel. He saw the world. He would visit our family in Puerto Rico and would go on cruises with our friends to the Caribbean. He loved life and enjoyed exploring. We always had an adventure.
And of course Billy loved his family very much. He also loved to celebrate, so every year in July he would combine them both. Billy had the best family barbecues where various people from different walks of life would come together to create everlasting memories in his backyard. Billy was also a captivating story teller and he would share this gift with his buddies down at Dave’s Fairfield Motors. He was the life of the party always telling jokes and making others smile.
With much pain, although Billy lived a carefree, giving, and joyful life, sickness hit home. My Billy was not the same. He would still smile through the pain and sorrow. Not once did he really stop making me laugh. My Billy’s memory started to fail him more and more each day. His body was not the same. Eventually he needed professional assistance in which we made the decision to have him reside in the Veterans Memorial Hospital in Vineland, N.J. Now of course sickness or impediments never stopped him from being Billy Gould. He spent his last days telling his close ones stories of how many pranks he pulled; and as he told the stories, he kept on adding to his repertoire. I can say that he embraced his inner child in all of his glory.
Billy was never afraid to live so he never feared death. He knew who God was and would say God is everything. He was ready to go home. He felt his Creator calling him and you know Billy, poof! Just like that he snuck out into the world he so much desired. There is one thing I am sure of and that is that our Mr. Billy Gould is no longer suffering. He is at peace. And even though my family, friends, and I with pain in our hearts have come to accept that you are in a better place, we still miss you. We love you and we will never forget the Legacy of Mr. Billy Gould.
Family and friends are invited to attend funeral services on Saturday May 6, 2017 at 12:00p.m. from the SRAY-WEBSTER FUNERAL HOME 62 Landis Ave. at Carll’s Corner, Upper Deerfield Twp.. The interment will be in Cumberland County Veterans Cemetery, Hopewell Twp.. Friends may call on Saturday morning from 10:00 to 12:00p.m. prior to the services. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations in memory be made to the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home 524 NW Blvd. Vineland, NJ 08360.
What’s your fondest memory of Wilbur?
What’s a lesson you learned from Wilbur?
Share a story where Wilbur's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Wilbur you’ll never forget.
How did Wilbur make you smile?
