William D. "Bill" Vickers

Obituary For William D. "Bill" Vickers

Devout Christian, loving family man, distinguished educator, skilled storyteller, and classic car aficionado.

William Dudley Vickers was born October 6, 1940 in Martinsville, Va. He was the third of six children born to Letha Tucker and Luther Alexander Vickers.

As a child, Bill, as he was affectionately known, always enjoyed playing with cars. He and his older brother Don would play for hours on end. As he grew, so did his love for cars. While he had an appreciation for them all, Lincolns and Fords were by far his favorite. So much so, that he later acquired several of his own and would often be seen -- and heard -- driving all over town in them.

While he loved to travel, Martinsville was always home. It is there that he attended grade school and served in the Martinsville City School system for 40 years. Coming from a family of educators, the value of a solid education was paramount. As such, he went on to get degrees and certifications from Hampton University, Southern University, Howard University, and the University of Virginia.

Bill possessed a true passion for his students, faculty and administrators and pressed upon the importance of an environment where they were able to think, synthesize and apply new concepts. But he also wanted learning to be fun. He would consistently think of ways to immerse his students in the material – so they were truly learning and not merely memorizing the content. As another tactic, he would assign nicknames to his students -- which was always entertaining.

While teaching at Martinsville High School, Bill met and fell in love with Beverly Parker. As teachers, they quickly discovered just how much they had in common. It did not take long to see that they were in fact soulmates. After a short courtship, they got married July 2, 1983. Soon thereafter they decided to start a family. In 1985 they had Ashley and in 1987 they had Alicia. Their family was now complete.

As proud parents, Bill and Beverly enjoyed nothing more than spending time together as a family unit. Whether playing games, attending church, taking vacation, or enjoying a good meal; nothing trumped time spent together. Bill’s love for his daughters was unmatched. His girls – which he often referred to as ‘his boys’ – were his world. He made it his mission to be firm but fair, instill guiding principles and support them through all of life’s challenges. He has always been both a superhero and a sage in their eyes and continues to be to this day. He will forever be their beloved ‘Diddy’.

Bill passed in peace at the age of 80 on May 29, 2021. He was preceded in death by his father (Luther), mother (Letha), brothers (Luther and Donald), sister (Gloria) as well as his wife (Beverly). He is survived by his sisters (Tanya and Sandra), daughters (Ashley and Alicia), son in laws (Sean and Mitchell), grandchildren (Jaden, Layla, Ariah, Brian and Shane) and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

A public viewing will be held on Friday, June 4th at Hairston Funeral Home from 1- 5pm.

Due to COVID restrictions, a private funeral service will be held at Christ Episcopal Church.

Honor the life of William D. "Bill" Vickers

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