William "Bill" Eccli

William (Bill) Eccli, loving dad/grandpa, accomplished traveler, avid fiction reader, and Eagles music fan died on Tuesday September 29, 2020, in Pompano Beach, Florida, after a courageous battle with complications from COVID-19.
 
Bill was welcomed into the world in Englewood, NJ, on May 10, 1932, the celebrated first son of his proud parents, Mario and Irene Eccli.  He arrived fast on the heels of his oldest sister, Virginia Werner, and was later followed by siblings Yvonne Bramante (deceased), Germaine Certo and Eugene Eccli.  Raised in a clan of hard-working Italian and German immigrants, Bill was laboring alongside his father in the family ice business as preteen when he lost his finger in an ice cutting machine.  He overcame this and other difficulties, stepping up to serve as a member of the NJ National Guard and to later become the first family member to graduate from college.  Bill earned a B.S. in Chemistry from Fordham University in 1955, and then earned two master’s degrees -- one in Chemical Engineering (Case Institute of Technology, 1957) and one in Management/Industrial Engineering (New Jersey Institute of Technology, 1964).  His education prepared him for a lifelong career as an Engineering Consultant, designing chemical plants for Mobil Oil at their campus near Princeton, NJ.

Princeton Junction, NJ, is also where Bill raised his three daughters with his former spouse, Geraldine Eccli.  His “girls,” Debbie Eccli Appleby (Springfield, VA), Karen Eccli Brownfield (Rock Hill, SC), and Dorene Eccli Martin (Fort Mill, SC), remember their dad  as a faithful provider, an example of hard work and integrity, and a lover of silly nicknames, calling them all “Pooper,” but distinguishing them by their numbers: 1, 2, and 3.  He also loved watching NFL games on television while championing his local team, reading voraciously, investing in the stock market, and traveling to exotic locales all over the world.  He had the opportunity to work with Mobil in France in 1977 and thrilled his girls with a family visit to him in Paris and Switzerland during his extended stay.

After instilling in his daughters a love for education, sending them off to college, and retiring from Mobil Oil, he moved to Virginia Beach, VA, in 1994, to care for his elderly mother and to volunteer as a small business consultant for SCORE. Following his mother's death, he headed to Pompano Beach, Florida, joining his sister, Virginia, at the John Knox Village Retirement Community (JKV).  During these years he enjoyed volunteering at JKV.  He also loved visiting his seven grandchildren, Kathryne (Appleby) Tenney, Nate Appleby, Morgan (Brownfield) Whitmer, Jon Brownfield, Jr., Conor Marco, Cole Marco and Logan Marco, of whom he was very proud.  “Grandpa” encouraged them all towards careers in science and math, and was excited to attend his two granddaughters’ weddings in October 2017 and August 2019. He was also thrilled to hear about the upcoming birth of his first great-grandchild (TBA) to granddaughter, Morgan, in January 2021.

The family would like thank the staff at JKV and at Hospice by the Sea in Pompano Beach, Florida, who helped care for Bill during his final days.  Bill’s life will be remembered at an online memorial service at JKV on 10/28/20.  His daughters and grandchildren will be interring his remains during a private family service being held in Rock Hill, SC, on 10/25/20.  In memory of Bill, a donation may be made to one of his favorite charities, The Salvation Army.  Condolences can be sent to the family through the email address: eccliheritage@gmail.com.

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