William Taylor Wills

During a childhood that included winning a beautiful baby competition in Charleston for two years in a row, he spent summers with his beloved sister Nina in the small hamlet of Prince, West Virginia, a whistlestop on the railroad, where his grandfather ran a hotel. These idyllic summers defined his childhood. When the war came, he went to Washington to work for the Department of Agriculture, and then into banking, first in Charleston, and then in Tampa, where his mother, Winnie Seacrist, and his stepfather Fred Seacrist, had moved. He worked for several area banks, including the Exchange National Bank, where he began as a teller and worked for twenty-five years, rising to assistant vice-president. It was while working as a teller that he met the love of his life, Alice. He edited the bank newsletter and supplied his own cartoon work for it, as well as writing press releases and marketing material. Later he worked for the Merchants Association for many years, where he put his artistic bent into the program that supplied streetlight banners for major events, like the Super Bowl, and worked on other community projects, such as the Safety Council. He raised his family in Forest Hills, where he served on the board of the school for Most Holy Redeemer.

In addition to his wife Alice, he is predeceased by his sister, Nina Wills Combes. He is survived by his three children, Kimberly Turner (Stephen), William Taylor Wills, Jr (Gary Allen), and Blaine Wills (Teresa), five grandchildren, Douglas and Evan Turner, and Logan, Sierra, and Sydney Wills, and seven nieces and nephews.

The family is grateful for the help of caregivers in the last two years of his life, especially Susana Viera.

The family will receive friends at Gonzalez Funeral Home (7209 N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33614) on Saturday, December 28, 11:00 AM -1:00 PM with the funeral service to begin at 1:00 PM. A private burial will follow. Condolences may be shared with the family by visiting www.GonzalezFuneral.com.