William R Curtis

William Russell Curtis, age 90, of Longwood, Florida passed away on Monday, October 3, 2022. William was born June 12, 1932, in Oakland, California. He was the son of Claire and Carl Hicks. He had a younger brother Nelson Curtis (Buzz) who passed in 2021. As a boy, he lived in Dayton, Ohio with his grandparents William Henry and Alice Marie Curtis. When he was a teenager he moved back to Sherman Oaks, California near Los Angeles.

He graduated from Sherman Oaks High School and was planning to go to college in Ohio, when he was drafted into the Army but he chose to serve in the Navy. On November 16, 1951 he completed basic training at the U.S. Naval Training Academy in San Diego, California. He was stationed in Key West, Florida and served his country well for six years.

In 1961 he married Arlene Rhodes, who he had met in South Florida while working as a traveling salesman for U.S. playing cards. They married in Brunswick, Georgia. And began their married life in Plantation, Florida. After a few years they moved to a suburb of Cincinnati called Milford, Ohio with their family of 4 children.

During the 1970’s he moved to Central Florida and raised his kids in the Longwood area. He started working for Certified Laboratories as a chemical salesman for over 40 years until he retired. He only had two jobs in whole life. In the early 2000’s he started a family business on the side called B & B Vending. The family ran the business for 15 years.

He was an avid sports fan and his main teams were the Orlando Magic, the Miami Dolphins and the Cincinnati Reds. He loved music and gave that gift to all his kids. As a boy he went to Big Band concerts in the LA area and saw such greats like Benny Goodman. He was also a huge Fleetwood Mac fan and he knew all the Johnny Cash songs.

He loved movies and had an extensive movie collection. Some of his favorites were The Maltese Falcon, The Sting, and The Indiana Jones series. He was also a huge James Garner fan and watched all of the Rockford Files and enjoyed the Star Trek series.

He spent his last days doing what he loved, visiting with family, watching movies and poker shows, sitting on the porch and watching the sky and birds, smoking his pipe and doing crossword puzzles. He also enjoyed his favorite food like peanut butter and butter sandwiches, beef deluxe and roast beef hash.

On Monday, October 3rd, 2022 he passed peacefully in his sleep while napping.

He is survived by his children: Mary Katherine Deering, Edward McCright Curtis, Carrianne Claire Curtis and Heather Pomeroy Georgoudiou; grandchildren: Keegan Blue, Gabriella Rose Curtis and Drew Joshua Deering; and great grandchildren: Benjamin Adam Deering and Cooper James Deering.

A visitation for William will be held Monday, October 10, 2022 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM at Baldwin Fairchild Funeral Home, 994 E ALTAMONTE DR, ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL 32701. A funeral service will occur Monday, October 10, 2022 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, 994 E ALTAMONTE DR, ALTAMONTE SPRINGS, FL 32701. A committal service will occur Monday, October 10, 2022 from 2:00 PM to 2:30 PM at Highland Memory Gardens, 3329 E Semoran Blvd, Apopka, FL 32703.