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William Ford of Bridgehampton died on April 18 at Walter Reed National Medical Military Hospital. He was 87.
Born in Philadelphia on April 2, 1928, he was raised in Bridgehampton by his parents, Bessie Ford Thonas and Henderson Wyche, his stepfather Robert Thomas Jr., and his grandparents, Fannie and Willie Ben Ford. He graduated from Bridgehampton High School in 1948 and enlisted in the U.S. Army the same year. He was active in the First Baptist Church of Bridgehampton, where he was a member of the junior choir. He was also active with the Boy Scouts.
During his time in the service, he was decorated with many medals, badges, commendations and ribbons, including the National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal, Combat Infantry Badge, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, two overseas bars, Bronze Star, Korean Service Medal, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation (Navy), and Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star. He attended Officer Candidate School, artillery school, intelligence school, air defense school, Penn State, and the University of Maryland. He was a lifetime member of the Buffalo Soldiers and the ROCKS, a Vietnam veterans organization.
After his retirement from military service, he worked at the manager of the credit union at Howard University and St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. He was also a consultant for Organon Inc.
He is survived by his wife, Irma Virginia (Barham); a son, Gary Lynn Ford; a daughter, Patricia Ford Gordon and husband Bruce; a sister, Alice Coffey of Southampton; three brothers, Edward L. Wyche of Texas, James Wyche of South Carolina and Leonard Wyche of Mississippi; cousins, Marie Parker and Thelma Washington of Bellport, Roosevelt Darden of Georgia, Theodore Darden of Coram, Waymouth Wyche of New Jersey, Cornelious Wyche of Maryland, Gloria Wyche Williams of North Carolina, Louis Wyche Petty of California, JoAnn Wyche Brown of Flanders, Amos Wyche Jr. of Albany; and brothers-in-law, Daniel Turner and wife Salonie, Wilbur Barham and wife Sonia; and many relatives and friends. He is also survived by his friends Brewer and Pauline Clark.
Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery on June 11.
on May 26, 2015