William W. Folsom, 70, of Greenville, passed away on October 1, 2019 after a courageous battle with brain cancer. He was the loving husband of Patti (Gilmore) Folsom. Born in Providence and raised in Cranston, he was the son of the late Earl and Dorothy (Bennett) Folsom.
Besides his wife of 43 years, he leaves his son Benjamin and daughter-in-law Marianne, son Zachary, two granddaughters, Ava and Willow, and his brother Robert and his wife Nancy. He also leaves many in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends, all of whom provided him with immeasurable love and support during the past year.
Bill was an industrial arts teacher in the Cranston school system for 30 years before retiring in 2008. He coached the Park View Wrestling Team for a number of years and started a recycling activity at the school. He also headed the summer Clean Team for the RI Department of Environmental Management during the early ‘80s.
Bill was an adult leader for Troop 1 Greenville while his sons were in scouting. He accompanied the troop every summer to the Yawgoo Scout Reservation and assisted with numerous scout dinners. His “special” potato salad was a legendary addition to the Ham and Bean supper.
Always an outdoorsman, Bill loved to hike and camp. Yosemite was his favorite destination, but the White Mountains were a close second. During the summer Bill could be found in his yard, either on his John Deere or working in his numerous gardens. If you were lucky, you received some of Bill’s homemade pickles, jelly, or applesauce during the holidays.
Bill was an avid motorcyclist and his dog Harley was his constant companion. He adapted a motorcycle utility trailer into a dog trailer and you could often find Bill riding around the back roads of RI with Harley’s head sticking out of the top of the trailer.
Bill liked the New England Patriots and he loved the Red Sox. He always said that he cheered for his Red Sox and any team that beat the Yankees.
As a high school student during the first years of Trinity Repertory Company’s Project Discovery, Bill discovered a love for the theater. He was in a few plays in high school and he and Patti were season ticket holders at Trinity for well over twenty years.
Bill was best known for his sense of humor and his commitment to recycling and saving our environment, but he will be forever remembered by family and friends for his habitual tardiness. We always joked that there was real time and there was “Bill time.”
Of all the roles Bill played in life, none was more dear to him than being a Grampie to Ava and Willow.
Visitation will be held Sunday 4-7pm in the Anderson Winfield Funeral Home, Greenville Common, Greenville. A private service will be held at a later date.
To honor Bill’s memory, please recycle, reuse, and repurpose with a passion. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be sent to Audubon Society of RI, 12 Sanderson Rd., Smithfield, RI, 02917.