William "Bill" Furze

On December 1, 2019, William “Bill” Furze of Marriottsville, MD, aged 78, passed away surrounded by his loving family. Bill was beloved by many and is survived by his devoted wife, Brenda Furze (Sayer) of Marriottsville; son David Furze of Marriottsville; daughter Molly Brooks (Furze), son-in-law Robert Brooks, and grandchildren Nathan and Fletcher Brooks of Catonsville, MD; sister Shirley Harris (Furze) of Rochester, NY; sister Carole Kenyon (Furze) of Cicero, NY; sister  Nancy Parody (Furze) of East Syracuse, NY; brother Thomas Furze of Jensen Beach, FL; and many, many dear nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his loving parents Irene Anna Furze (Miner) and Richard Bernard Furze of Syracuse, NY; and brother Richard “Dickie” Furze of Syracuse, NY. 

Bill was born on May 3rd, 1941 in Syracuse, the youngest of six children. He was a graduate of Onondaga Valley Academy in 1960. Bill served in the Air Force for 4 years with tours in Okinawa and Turkey as a Morse Intercept Operator during the Cold War and early in the Vietnam War. After his discharge for medical reasons, he used to joke that he left “half of his stomach in Turkey”. After service, he went to work for General Electric back in Syracuse, where he met his wife of 51 years, Brenda. They married in 1968 before moving to Maryland. Bill remained very close to his family in New York and his children remember the 7-hour drive made at least once a year “North” during snow, rain, and squabbling children in the back seat. Bill worked in manufacturing for many years before owning and operating a restaurant with his son, David, and then an Antiques Business. He was a “treasure” hunter and loved consignment shops in his later years. Bill was always the life of the party, singing and dancing constantly (with or without a partner) telling jokes and making everyone around him laugh. Some of his favorite things were beach vacations, antiquing, telling stories, and his dogs. He will be terribly missed. 

A memorial gathering will be held in his honor on December 14th, from 3-5pm at Candle Light Funeral Home in Catonsville. All are welcome. Please consider a donation to be made in his name to the Alzheimer’s Association of Central Maryland.

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