William (Bill) Francis Pickup passed away at the age of 86 on September 2, 2018 in Marietta, GA. Bill was raised in New Bedford, MA and lived at the foothills of Sourland Mountain Preserve in Hillsborough, NJ for the majority of his life. Bill was predeceased by his grandparents James and Mary (Marsh) Pickup, mother Ann Pickup, and seven brothers and sisters: Sam Pickup, Henry Pickup, Ann Pickup, Colonel Michael Pickup, John Pickup, Evelyn (Pickup) Shainberg, Phyllis (Pickup) Uttley, and his loyal companion Diablo. Bill is survived by his daughter Donna Tracy Pickup of Sarasota, FL and Smyrna, GA, and dear friend Naomi Chipman of West Palm Beach, FL.
A graduate of Springfield College, Bill played collegiate baseball and interrupted his college career by enlisting in the Korean War. Bill was a lifeguard at Horseneck Beach in Westport, MA, and throughout his life was an avid scuba diver, skier and tennis player. Bill was an owner handler of several Doberman Pinchers gaining international champion status with Int. Ch. Lauwick Champagne in 1963. An entrepreneur, Bill owned Princeton Testing Laboratories (PTL) headquartered in Princeton, NJ. PTL was a major provider of environmental consulting, field and analytical services with branch offices in New York, NY, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
In the past several years Bill lived with dementia and enjoyed reminiscing about his dogs Diablo and Champagne, the Pickup family, sailing adventures with family and friends, and reciting the 1948 rally cry for the Boston Braves, “Spahn and Sain and Pray for Rain”. Bill also took great delight sitting in his garden identifing the flora and fauna with his daughter Donna.
In accordance with Bill’s wishes, cremation services were arranged by Georgia Funeral Care Cremation Services www.georgiafuneralcare.com. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to The Audubon Society www.audubon.org or Buzzards Bay Coalition www.savebuzzardsbay.org.
