William J. Davidson

Who's in charge? Bill’s in charge to the very end! 

William J. “Bill” Davidson passed away peacefully on April 19, literally surrounded by his family. Born September 1, 1930, in Osceola Mills, PA, he was the youngest and last member of his 7 siblings. His parents were Robert Gault Davidson who emigrated from Scotland as a child and Hannah Merriman Davidson.

Surviving to honor his memory are his daughters, Kathryne (Earl) Nichols of Fair Hill, MD, Laurie (Mark) Hess of Ocean View, DE and Lisa (Thomas) Lewandowski of Middletown, DE. Additional survivors include his eight grandchildren: Fallon, Jarrod, and Morgan Hess, Patrice, Victoria & Marlee Nichols, Corrine (Jon) Lanouette & Dylan Lewandowski and great grandchildren, Jonathan and Brielle Lanouette and Hunter Hess and numerous loved nieces and nephews.

Bill was a self-made, successful businessman who started out in a one room schoolhouse, graduating a year early (though he was asked to skip graduation because of his many antics). He came to Delaware to join his siblings, Robert and Mabel and operated a gas station with Bob at Prices Corner. He met Betty Shoemaker in 1955 and they married in 1956, living initially in Peekskill, NY; then Cranston Heights over a barber shop; settling in New Castle and eventually

Wilmington. They were married 62 years until Betty's death in 2018. Always a hard worker, Bill was also a railroad fireman with the New York/PennCentral Railroad commuting to NY to work after his move to Delaware. In between and concurrently, he held other jobs as a salesman with Fader Ford and started a trash business. Along with Betty, he operated William Davidson Rubbish Removal, initially in residential service then moving on to commercial service until he sold the business to Waste Management. He worked for Waste Management, and then went on to own & operate All-Rite Rubbish Removal in Felton, DE. Their final venture was Able Recycling which they closed in 2018. 

Along the way Bill was rarely not working. He was known to take long naps on the couch at their beach place in Pot Nets or later Andros, Bahamas but otherwise was full throttle whether it was fixing almost anything that needed fixed at home or work, all the while commuting an hour-plus to work in Felton for 20+ years. However, the trash people knew how to party! Conventions took Bill & Betty to fabulous locations all over the world: Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa where they enjoyed visiting magnificent locations and were always sure to bring home souvenirs for their children and grandchildren.

Among his many other pursuits, Bill assisted in the startup of two other trash businesses, served in the Army, piloted his own plane and mentored countless others. He was a member of the National Waste & Recycling Assn, Environmental Industries Assn, Detachable Container Assn and MD/DE Waste Assn. He was also inducted into the NWRA Hall of Fame.

Visitation will be held Saturday, April 30 from 9:30-11AM at Harry's Savoy Grill, 2020 Naamans Road, Wilmington followed by a Celebration of Life at 11AM.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Delaware Humane Association, 701A Street, Wilmington, DE 19801 or Faithful Friends Animal Society, 12 Germay Drive, Wilmington, DE 19804 or to a charity of your choice.

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