William Orchard, a native of Crawford, New Jersey and a resident of Robertsdale, Alabama, passed away on Thursday, December 18, 2025, at the age of 83.
Bill was born on March 1, 1942 in Orange, NJ. He graduated from Blair Academy High School and went on to serve in the United States Army for two years. He received a degree in Religious Studies from Florida State University and a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Counseling from the University of South Alabama. He worked as an addiction therapist for Mobile Mental Health. His intellectual pursuits and writings about God, religion and science were a life-long passion. The 12 steps were his spiritual path.
Bill is preceded in death by his parents, Sally Haskins Orchard and William Orchard.
He is survived by his loving wife of 39 years, Donna F. Orchard; his son, Ezra Orchard; stepsons, Benjamin and Al Keaton; and one granddaughter, Natalie Shiloh Orchard.
A memorial service will be held at Hughes Funeral Home, 26209 Pollard Road, Daphne, AL, on Monday, January 5, 2025. There will be a time of visitation before the service beginning at 10AM, followed by the service at 11AM.
Hughes Funeral Home, 26209 Pollard Road, Daphne, AL, is assisting the family.
Bill will be missed. I met him in the early 1990s when our minister at St. Paul’s in Daphne, Dick Schmidt, recommended him as a good person to write a statement for a Building Fund brochure I was producing for the church. He did a great job. Bill was intellectually curious, smart, articulate and at times blunt in his summation of a situation. He read widely, loved classical music and was a fine mentor. He and his wife became fast friends and incorporated me as part of their extended family. He will be missed.