William Thomas Pickering, Jr.

     William Thomas Pickering, Jr. went to be with the Lord on April 20, 2026 at Bayhealth Hospital. He was surrounded with the love and prayers of his family.
     William was born on February 12, 1941 at Kent General Hospital in Dover, Delaware to Thomas and Elva Pickering. He was affectionately known as “Bill” by everyone who knew him. He grew up on the family farm near Lebanon, Delaware.
     Bill was a proud graduate of Caesar Rodney High School where he enjoyed playing baseball, basketball and trumpet in the school band. He was a member of the All-State Chorus and served as the President of his Senior class.
     In the 10th grade, Bill met the love of his life, Peggy Goodhand, when she transferred from Sudlersville, Maryland. They married after high school and enjoyed 67 years as husband and wife.
     Bill made a career out of applying his strong people skills to a variety of sales jobs, from the Delaware State News to Moore Business Forms to Delta Business Forms. For many years he was a Dover fixture behind the counter at the “corner store” P&B Market. The neighborhood children called him “Mr. Bill” and loved to share their report cards and get to pick from the penny candy bucket.
     Bill was a person of many interests. He was a voracious reader, the family historian, and a collector of all things interesting. He also loved puzzles, playing card games, listening to music, and dancing. A favorite getaway with Peggy was attending country and southern gospel concerts. He had a great sense of humor and loved to play practical jokes. He was an avid fan of all Philadelphia sports teams and a devoted fan of Emmy Lou Harris; as well as anything his grandchildren and great grandchildren were interested in. After retirement, Bill and Peggy loved road trips and made countless memories for their grandchildren at Chincoteague, the Delaware beaches, Gatlinburg, Dollywood and Disney.
     Bill is survived by his loving wife Peggy, his children Jeff Pickering, Steve Pickering, Jill Harrington, and Amy (Pete) Ellison; his five grandchildren and their spouses, Tyler (Kelli) Harrington, Zachary (Amanda) Harrington, Abigail Harrington, Sarah Ellison (Zachary Tull), and Caroline Ellison. He was also a loving great-grandfather to Mark Harrington and Cooper Tull.
     Services will be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at Torbert Funeral Chapel, 1145 E. Lebanon Road (Rt.10), Dover, Delaware. A visitation will be held at 12:00 p.m. with the funeral service immediately following at 1:00 p.m.
   Letters of condolence may be sent, and guestbook signed at www.torbertfuneral.com