William J. Mayhew, Sr. of Milford departed this life his forever home in Heaven on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at the Delaware Veteran’s Home in Milford. He was 84.
Born July 1, 1942, in Milford, William was the son of the late Harry Ennis Mayhew Sr. and Frances L. Abbott Mayhew. He was a lifelong son of Milford, and the town shaped him twice over – first as the place he grew up and later as the place he chose to come home to.
He graduated from Milford High School, Class of 1960, where he met Norma Hopkins who would become his wife. He went on to the United States Military Academy at West Point, graduating in 1964 and accepting a commission with the United States Army Corps of Engineers. He married Norma two days later.
William, a Ranger-qualified officer, completed two tours of duty in Vietnam, then returned to West Point as an instructor in the math department. He then served three years in Germany. The family later made their home in Chantilly, Virginia, where he served at the Pentagon and at Arlington Hall Station. William retired at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
William and Norma returned to Milford where they remained for the rest of his life. He never stopped teaching. IN retirement, he taught math at Christian Tabernacle Academy and Milford Christian School, carrying into those classrooms what he learned at West Point.
He was a faithful member of First Baptist Church of Milford and a member of Gideons International. He was also a founding member of the Milford Community Band, an organization that continues to bring music to the town he loved. William enjoyed fishing, hunting, playing cornet and many years vacationing with his family in the Outer Banks. Those who knew him remember him a as man devoted to faith and family.
William is survived by his wife of 62 years, Norma Hopkins Mayhew of Milford; two sons, William J. Mayhew, Jr. and his wife, Debby, of Waleska, Georgia and Kent Allen Mayhew, and his wife, Cindy, of Galloway, New Jersey; his sister, Susan cooper and her husband, Dicky of Milford; four grandchildren, Drake, Andrew, Joy and Savannah.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Harry E. “Skip” Mayhew, Jr., and Skip’s wife, Ethel.
A viewing will be held on Friday, October 9, 2026, from 12 Noon until 1 PM at the First Baptist Church of Milford, 6062 Old Shawnee Road, Milford DE 19963. A funeral service will begin at 1 PM with burial immediately following at Hollywood Cemetery in Harrington. Interment and military honors will follow at the cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to The Gideons International, PO Box 140800, Nashville, Tennessee, 37214; Delaware Hospice, 100 Patriots Way, Milford, Delaware 19963 or to the First Baptist Church of Milford, 6062 Old Shawnee Road, Milford Delaware 19963
