William Bishop Duncan passed away peacefully on January 12, 2023, at the age of 93, surrounded by his three daughters.
Bill was raised on Longstreet Farm in Holmdel; he was the last of many generations to live in the ancestorial home that dated back to the 1600s before his family turned it over to The Monmouth County Park System to become Holmdel Park in 1962. He went to local schools as a boy, then attended Blair Academy and the University of Virginia where he competed on the football and swim teams and was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He served in the U.S. Navy Reserve from 1947 to 1953, including two years of active duty in Naval Aviation in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. His business career included N.J. Bell Telephone and the Bell & Howell Company in New York City. He was a former member of the Rumson Country Club and the Seabright Beach Club.
He was an avid cyclist and a legendary fixture in the area, in his windbreaker and khakis riding his bicycle great distances, averaging over 5,000 miles a year up until he was 90.
He was predeceased by his wife of 50 years, Jean Botkin Duncan, his parents, Mary Holmes Duncan and William James Duncan and his brother, Holmes Longstreet Duncan. He is survived by his daughters Julie Harris (Chip) of Richmond, Va., Betsy Diehl (Dave) of Frederick, Md., and Susan Duncan Judge (John Perkins) of Little Silver, N.J., seven grandchildren, one great grandson and another great grandson expected in February.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Little Silver Library, 484 Prospect Avenue, Little Silver, NJ 07739 or The Monmouth County Parks System, 805 Newman Springs Road, Lincroft, NJ 07738.
Visitation will be Friday, January 20 from 10-11am followed by the funeral service at 11am at Thompson Memorial Home, 310 Broad Street, Red Bank, NJ. There will be a private burial at Holmdel Cemetery.
