Bill was a proud WWII veteran. He joined army in 1941 and was assigned to the 1st Armored Division. He was stationed in Northern Ireland and England before shipping out to North Africa. Later, he was part of the invasion of Italy and proudly passed through the newly freed city of Rome before proceeding north to the Po Valley.
Bill was predeceased by his parents George Cole and Mary (McCarthy) Cole, and his siblings George Cole, Edward Cole and Anna Mae Cole (Oesterle). He was married to the love of his life, the late Betty A. Cole (Shaw) for 72 years. They lived in West Orange, NJ for 30 years before moving to Jackson. He was the
father of the late Kathleen Cole, Nancy (Tom) Nevius, Janet Cole, William (Hilary) Cole, the late Lorraine Cole, the late Curtis Cole, Elaine (William) McGuire, Dennis (Dawn) Cole and the late Marian Cole. He leaves behind 20 devoted grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren and many loving nieces and nephews.
Bill was the owner of Cole Aluminum Windows and Doors. After he retired, he worked at Great Adventures in Jackson for 10 years. He was a long time member of the Knights of Columbus
Visitation will be at the Anderson Campbell Funeral Home 3010 Ridgeway Rd., Manchester, NJ 08759 on Monday, April 1, from 2 to 4 pm and 7 to 9 pm. A funeral mass will be celebrated at 12:30 pm on Tuesday, April 2 at St. Monica’s Church 679 W. Veterans Hwy., Jackson, NJ 08527. Interment will follow at Brig. Gen. Wm. C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery, Province Line Rd., Wrightstown, NJ.
Memorial donations may be sent to the Hope Center 253 Chestnut St., Toms River, NJ 08753.
