William (Bill) Ewing Tidmore, Jr., a resident of Fort Myers, Fla. since 2005, passed away Thursday, July 27, 2017, at Gulf Coast Medical Center following a sudden illness.

The family will receive friends at the National Cremation and Burial Society, 3453 Hancock Bridge Pkwy, North Fort Myers from 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Aug. 19. Funeral services will follow at noon.

Bill was born Sept. 25, 1942, in Atlanta, Ga., the second of two children of William E. and Mildred Jordan Tidmore. He received his B.S. degree in marketing from the University of Georgia in Athens, Ga. Bill served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Korea.

He was united in marriage to Barbara Stegmaier on Aug. 26, 1978. He always considered this to be the best decision of his life. They were married for 39 years.

Bill was adored by his family as a devoted and selfless husband, brother, father and grandfather. A proud father to four children, he always encouraged them to explore their own interests and happiness. Billy looked up to and cherished his sister Anne, with whom he had a lifelong friendship.

Bill was in sales and product management at Ethicon, Inc; working in North Carolina, New Jersey, Georgia, and Ontario. He worked at DePuy for 14 years, eventually becoming President of DePuy International in Leeds, England and DePuy in Warsaw, Ind. In Warsaw he volunteered for United Way and CASA. After retirement, he served on the boards of numerous medical companies.

He was the epitome of a southern gentlemen; honest, kind and humble with impeccable manners. In Bill’s house, everyone was always welcome. He cherished his friendships, developing lifelong bonds with countless people he encountered. Bill had a generosity of spirit that touched and benefited everyone who knew him. He lived his life with passion and grace, and gave tremendously of his time, always putting the needs of others before his own.

He loved fishing, golf, Georgia football, weddings, games, red wine, cigars and his wife’s cooking. Bill loved life.

An avid storyteller, he would often captivate the family dining table with tales of his fishing and childhood misadventures. He will be remembered by his family as a noble, caring soul whose sweetness will be sadly missed.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida or Harry Chapin Food Bank of Southwest Florida.

Survivors include his wife, Barb; children: Chris (Megan) Tidmore, Wayne, Pa.; Stacy (Joe) Swarm, Potomac Falls, Va.; Rob (Nadia Al-Lami) Tidmore, San Francisco, Calif.; Maggie Tidmore, San Rafael, Calif.; his sister, Anne (Buddy) Gleaton, Atlanta, Ga.; his grandchildren, Hannah, Chloe, Natalie, Paige, Joseph, and Lila.

He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Mildred Tidmore.