William K Abbott

William K. Abbott, 92, of Green Brook, passed away on August 22nd, 2023 in Bound Brook.

William was born in Rockville Centre, New York, to Eugene Thirlwell Abbott and Elsie Tiebel Abbott on April 23rd, 1931.  He attended Freeport, NY public schools and graduated from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa, with a B.A. in Metallurgical Engineering in 1953.  He married Carolyn Goodwin on September 12th, 1954 in Long Island.  William worked in sales and market development for International Nickel Company for 40 years.  He was a member of the Green Brook Board of Education for 25 years, and served on the Open Space Committee & Environmental Committee in Green Brook for many years. He was a long time member of the Green Brook Men’s Golf Association and in his spare time, helped coach in the Green Brook Little League and was also involved in the Little League Administration.   

William was a proud Lehigh Engineer (He NEVER liked the change to the nickname Mountain Hawks!). He played trumpet in the Lehigh Marching 97, and always loved supporting the band throughout the years. Post graduation, he attended countless wrestling matches, basketball games, virtually every home football game from 1949 until 2021 and proudly boasted of his unblemished record of attending 73 annual Lehigh-Lafayette rivalry games (with the exception of 1, due to military service). The annual luncheon celebrating members of the 50 game club was a highlight for him, as he could meet with the coaches and senior players on the eve of the big game (and presumably tell them how to win).  Dad always said that Lafayette only existed for the kids that couldn’t get into Lehigh. Haha!

William served in the United States Army from 1954, during the Korean War and in the years following the Armistice Agreement, before being discharged in 1962. He graduated from the U.S. Army’s A.S.A. school and was stationed at Ft Devens, Massachusetts, before briefly being deployed to Korea towards the end of the war.

William is preceded in death by his beloved wife Carolyn, parents Eugene & Elsie, brother Douglas, sister Gale and son-in-law John Brylczyk. 

William is survived by his daughters Kim Brylczyk, Lynn (John) Welles, son Timothy (Tarja) Abbott. Grandchildren Alyson (Beau) Ridge, Kyle (Michelle) Brylczyk, Terrence (Valerie) Welles, Kristilyn (Jorge) Ramos, Carly (Nick) Alessandro, and Iris Järvirinne. Great grandchildren George, Wyatt, Javier & Sofia.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you consider making a donation in William’s name to the Lehigh University Athletic Department.

Friends may visit the family on Friday, August 25 from 4:00-8:00pm at the Sheenan Funeral Home in Dunellen. A funeral service will be held at the funeral home on Saturday, August 26 at 10:00am with entombment to follow at Somerset Hills Memorial Park in Basking Ridge.

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