Henry H. Willcox, Jr., 95, of Earlville, passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 11, 2016 surrounded by his family at the family farm, in Earlville, New York.
Henry was born on September 14, 1920 at the family farmstead in Earlville, NY, the son of Henry H. Sr. and Bessie May (Conley) Willcox. He graduated from Earlville Central School and Colgate University. While serving in the US Army Air Corps, he married E. Ann Fernalld on April 25, 1943 in Beverly Hills, California. They remained happily married at the family farm until her passing in January of 2007.
Hank was the loving patriarch of his family and devoted his life to raising their two children. He was influential in their lives as well as the lives of his six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, while also taking on the role of father and grandfather to many other families and friends. He was a wonderfully supportive husband and family man. He ventured into several successful occupations such as farming, insurance, real estate, and rural letter carrier until returning to college in his early 40s to earn a Master’s in School Psychology to pursue his real love of helping kids. He worked until retirement for the Sherburne-Earlville school system nurturing and influencing the personal lives of these beloved students.
Hank was predeceased by his sisters, Mary (Nower) and Dorothy (Tefft). Surviving are his son Henry H. Willcox, III and daughter Margery Willcox Campbell and her partner William (Bill) Block. Also, surviving are his grandchildren: Tanya Schnabl and her husband, Eric, and daughters, Kaitlyn and Sydney; Carin Roberts and her husband, Lee, and daughter, Brooke; Henry H. Willcox, IV and his wife, Jennifer, and sons, Jeremy and Jacob; and Joshua Campbell and his wife, Nicole, Shepardson Campbell and his wife, Marissa, and son, Maximus, and Abbey Campbell and her husband, Adam Sherman. Also surviving is Carmen Sanchez de Lozada, his Bolivian exchange student daughter. Other members of the extended family include Marti Ciccone and Joanne Munroe; Barry Campbell; JoAnn, Gary, Taryn and Chris Williams.
Friends are invited to call at the Burgess & Tedesco Funeral Home, 10 South Main Street in Sherburne on Wednesday, July 20, 2016 from 4-7pm.
A family celebration of life will be at the convenience of the family at a later date.
Contributions in his memory may be made to Sherburne-Earlville Central School District Special Needs Prom Fund or the Literacy Bag Initiative. Please designate your contribution by writing checks to Sherburne-Earlville Central Schools and naming the organization in the memo line. Send to Sherburne-Earlville Central Schools, 15 School Street, Sherburne, NY 13460.
To send a condolence and sign the Book of Memories online go to www.burgessandtedescofuneralhomes.com.