William Robert “Bill” Fuson of Wilmington, Delaware, passed away peacefully after a life rich in family, faith, lifelong friendships, and more than a few trains.
Born on January 23, 1938, in Trenton, Missouri, to Dr. William A. Fuson and Jeanne Simpson Fuson, Bill graduated from Trenton High School. He attended the University of Tulsa and later earned a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of Missouri.
Bill began his distinguished 40-year career with the DuPont Company on August 29, 1960. After working in manufacturing management in Waynesboro, Virginia, and Seaford, Delaware, he discovered his true passion in industrial packaging design, which brought him to DuPont’s Wilmington, Delaware, site. His creativity and out-of-the-box thinking led to numerous innovations, including two shared patents. He later worked in package procurement before retiring from DuPont, going on to spend another eight years doing what he loved as an independent packaging design consultant.
Trains were a lifelong joy for Bill. He loved everything about them, from riding historic steam locomotives to enjoying trips on Thomas the Tank Engine with his grandchildren. He spent countless hours perfecting his ever-evolving model train layout and sharing it with his grandkids was one of his greatest pleasures.
Travel was another deep passion. Bill loved exploring the country and the world—first on memorable family vacations with his children, and later on adventures with his beloved wife, Nancy. He took immense joy in introducing family and friends to new places and creating lasting memories together.
A dedicated member of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, Bill served the Lutheran Volunteer Corps for 16 years locally and eight years nationally, including three years as board chair. He was a man of precise talents and simple pleasures, known for planting garden flowers with exact, measured spacing, making homemade ice cream with an old-fashioned hand-crank freezer, hosting church wine tastings, and participating in Rally Day. He never passed up the chance to share a good Scotch and a great story with friends. His greatest gift was his witty sense of humor and remarkable memory, which allowed him to forge instant, lifelong friendships wherever he went.
Bill is survived by his beloved wife of many years, Nancy Williams Fuson; his children, David (Diane) Fuson, Lynette Fuson, and Jill (Eric) Pirhalla; his grandchildren, Dylan, Kaitlyn, Bryce, Katya, Masha, Nathan, Jacob, and Kathryn; and his great-grandchildren, Freya and Annabelle.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Dr. William A. Fuson and Jeanne Simpson Fuson, and his sister, Nancy Geertman.
A visitation will be held on Saturday, August 1, 2026, from 10:00 to 11:00 AM at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, 501 Duncan Rd, Wilmington, DE 19809, where a memorial service will immediately follow at 11:00 AM. For those unable to attend in person, the service will be livestreamed at youtube.com/@stmarksonline.
Memorial donations may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation (parkinson.org), or floral tributes may be sent directly to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church for the service.
