On the morning of Aug. 4, 2022, William P. (Bill) McDermitt Jr. of Middletown, passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 93.
Bill was born in Newark to William P. Sr. and Marguerite (O’Connor), the youngest of three sons. He grew up in Maplewood and Newark and resided in Monmouth County for the past 60 years.
Graduating from Barringer High School in 1946, he served in the U.S. Navy from 1946-1948. He attended college at Plattsburgh State University and then New York University, where he received a degree in business in 1950, beginning a career in marketing and advertising. He landed in the media department at Young & Rubicam in the early 1960s, then in 1969 joined the Ladies Home Journal to work in advertising sales. He remained in advertising sales, spending almost 20 years at McCall’s Magazine and retiring in 1996.
He was an outstanding salesman and mentored many younger colleagues. He was active in retirement. Passionate about helping others he volunteered at Riverview Medical Center at Hackensack Meridian Health for 12 years, being known there affectionately as “Fancy Pants.” He was a long-standing member of the Root Beer & Checkers Club of Fair Haven and a parishioner of All Saints Episcopal Church, Navesink.
Bill was a loving father and stepfather, a people person in business and in life, and enjoyed sharing stories and laughs with everyone he met. He had a passion for sharing and preserving memories of family and friends through his photographs. Bill loved music and reading, with a particular interest in military history.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Aurilla (Laurie), his first wife Gladys, and brothers Matthew P. McDermitt and John H. McDermitt. He is survived by his children and their spouses, Michael and Cynthia McDermitt, Chris McDermitt, Amy (McGrane) and Michael Whelan, and David and Denise McDermitt; his stepchildren Richard and JoAnne McCoy, Peter and Joan McCoy, Leslie and Neil Scully, Jennifer and Ted Sidun, and Kate and Ken Chatto; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
A viewing will be held from 3 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 11 at John E. Day Funeral Home, Red Bank. Interment with a graveside service will be at 10 a.m. Aug. 12 at Mt. Olivet Cemetery, Middletown.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill’s memory may be sent to the Alzheimer’s Association or to any veterans’ organizations.
Please visit Bill’s memorial website at johnedayfuneralhome.com.
The article originally appeared in the August 11 – 17, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
