William "Bill" Allen Oliver

William Allen "Bill" Oliver passed away peacefully on May 10, 2024 at his home in Stevensville, MD. He was 87 years old. Born on December 19, 1936 in Weldon, North Carolina, he was the son of the late William and Essie Oliver. Bill and his predeceased wife of 60+ years, Betsy, raised their family in the Four Seasons neighborhood in Gambrills, MD and were widely recognized as pillars of the community during their time there. They recently relocated to the Eastern Shore of MD on Kent Island. Bill grew up in rural North Carolina, and proudly told stories of hunting rabbits and squirrels, putting food on the table for their family of eight. He graduated from William R. Davies High School in Roanoke Rapids, NC, where he proudly played football and joined the National Guard. As a young man, he made his way to Washington DC to work for the FBI where he met Betsy. He went on to become the Director of Development at Harry Diamond Labs in Adelphi, MD where he worked until his retirement in 1992. Bill was a lifelong outdoorsman, and was the founder of the “Coinjock Hookers” fishing club, organizing legendary annual fishing trips to the Outer Banks throughout the 70’s and 80’s. He was a founding member of the GORC athletic club, and coached countless boys and girls on various football, baseball, and softball teams. Bill had an unquenchable passion for life, could spin a yarn with the best of them and always made new friends with ease everywhere he went. An avid musician, he enjoyed playing guitar, banjo, mandolin, harmonica, juice harp and the little brown jug. Bill loved family gatherings, shooting the breeze with friends old and new, crab feasts, pig pickins, oyster roasts, making the best Brunswick stew in the south and the best crab cakes on the Chesapeake, growing his vegetable garden, the Redskins and the Orioles, collards on the stove, Boston butts on the grill, fishing on the pond, fishing on the lake, fishing at the river, fishing off the pier, surf fishing, bass trolling, bait fishing, lure casting and bamboo-pole worm-dipping. The Oliver house was a place of open hospitality where many would stop by for a visit, a laugh and whatever Bill was cooking up that day. Bill was deeply loved for his warm heart and boundless generosity, and countless many found a profound helping hand extended when they needed it most. After Betsy passed in 2020, Bill missed her dearly every day and is now reunited with the love of his life. Bill is survived by his four children Rick Oliver (Susan); David Oliver (Patty); Susan Groves (Kirk); Trish Gruber (Tim); his seven grandchildren, Sadie, Clara, Will, Christian, Luke, Tyler, India and his three great-children, Toby, Alice and Briar. Services will be held on Saturday, May 18, 2024 at St. Stephens Church, located at 1110 St. Stephens Church Rd, Crownsville, MD 21032. 11:00am - 11:45am viewing, 12:00pm service. In lieu of flowers, donations to the church are welcome at www.ststephensmd.org

William "Bill" Allen Oliver

December 19, 1936 - May 10, 2024