Obituary of William Phillips Child

 William (Bill, Liam) Phillips Child passed away peacefully on February 28, 2024, after living with cancer for 6 years.

Bill was born in Mineola, New York, on August 4, 1952, to Ernest “Jim” Child, Jr. and Elizabeth “Betty” (Lillie) Child. He spent most of his childhood in Smoke Rise, Kinnelon, NJ with his parents, older brother, Ernest “Jim” Child, III, and younger sister, Susan Child. It was here that he would grow his love for nature and spend much of his time exploring and documenting local hiking trails, which he lovingly referred to as his own ‘hundred-acre wood.’ He learned to sail on the lake there and on NY’s Long Island Sound with his dad. During his teen years, Bill took up the guitar and began writing what would become a collection of over 150 original songs throughout his lifetime.

Bill attended Avon Old Farms in Connecticut for his high school education, and always spoke very highly of the experience, the school’s notable architecture, and the lifelong friendships he made there. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Hartwick College, and later a Master of Arts from Long Island University. He went on to have a varied and fulfilling career in art, teaching sculpture at Centenary College in NJ, showing and selling original artworks at local galleries, and producing numerous commissioned pieces while working as a professional artwork framer in NJ.  

Bill’s love of sailing brought him to Maine in 1984 for a trip on the Schooner Stephen Taber, where he met Kirsten (Zekind) Child, who he was married to for many years. Bill and Kirsten moved to Jefferson Township and bought a house in Lake Shawnee, New Jersey, where they lived for almost 30 years, raising their 2 children, Erik and Lora. There Bill enjoyed participating in many Lake Shawnee activities over the years and was a proud member of the Jefferson Township Community Chorus. He would often perform his original songs, “My Sweet Home Jefferson,” and, “Lake Shawnee Proud and Pretty,” at local events.

Bill later moved to Newcastle, Maine in 2016, to be closer to his brother, Jim, and his family. Maine was a place that he fell in love with time and time again. He found an incredible circle of friends through the community and organizations that he was regularly involved with, including the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Inn Along the Way, and Hearts Ever Young choir group in Damariscotta.

Bill spent his lifetime creating, inspiring others, and spreading light and love among all those who met him. Let us always remember the positivity and love that he perpetuated, and carry that throughout our lives in his honor…  As he would say, “May we all be instruments of peace, love, and hope in the world…”

Surviving him with countless loving memories are his son, Erik William Child, his wife, Stephanie (Salle) Child, and their son, Wyatt Vincent Child of NJ; his daughter, Lora Elizabeth Child of WA; his brother, Ernest Child, III, and his wife Pamela (Eimicke) Child of ME; his sister, Susan (Child) Kerr, and her husband, Clifford Dawson Kerr of DE; his nephews Joshua William Child and Aaron Christopher Child of ME, Scott Allan Kerr of OH and Travis Jennings Kerr of VT; his niece Hannah Lillie (Child) Parker of NH; and their respective families. 

Please join us to  Celebrate the Life of William “Bill - Liam” Child 

Sunday, June 23rd, 2024 — 1pm  

At: Inn Along the Way

Damariscotta, Maine 04543

If you would like, please bring memories, music, art, or photos to share. 

Light refreshments will be served. 

RSVP — We would really like to know you are coming. 

Please respond by May 19th to CelebrateBill207@gmail.com