John Edward McWilliams, loved the Lord
John (Jack) Edward McWilliams, 70, of Milford passed away peacefully Wednesday, May 11, 2022, at Polaris Wellness Village in Milford surrounded by his family.
Jack was born July 27, 1951, in Lewes, to the late John H. McWilliams Jr. and Jessie (Innis) McWilliams.
He served his country in the National Guard for six years in the Milford and Harrington units, and was later employed at DuPont Company in Seaford from 1973 to 2007, and at Merck Animal from 2008 until he retired in 2015.
In 1972, Jack gave his heart to the Lord. He served his church family at Christian Tabernacle Church and Academy for 48 years as an elder and a board member, also singing in the choir. His children also attended and graduated from the church school.
Jack's love of sports was evidenced in his service to the Milton and Milford communities as a little league coach for over 12 years. He also had a love of the outdoors, and enjoyed hunting waterfowl, deer and rabbits in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia with his son and four grandchildren. He relished the memories of organizing hunting parties with his DuPont coworkers, and loved sharing stories about his favorite hunting dog, Bess, riding in the elevator at the Dover Sheraton. He was an avid gun collector and spent many Saturdays shooting in sporting clay tournaments across Delmarva with his son, Kris.
His love of cars started very early in life, as well as his need for speed. He enjoyed watching NASCAR on Sundays and had the opportunity to drive to Homestead, Charlotte, and Dover, and even pushed the needle to its limits at Daytona. In 2015, he realized a lifelong dream and bought his first Corvette, kicking off his retired life riding in warm weather with the top off.
Jack is survived by his loving wife of 49 years, Cheryll Hills McWilliams; a daughter, Robin (McWilliams) Targett; a son, John Kristin McWilliams and his wife Leslie; the four loves of his life, his grandchildren: Morgan Elizabeth, John Tyler, John Alexander and John Declan; a sister, Linda (McWilliams) Warren and husband Joe; father-in-law, Lawrence F. Hills; brothers-in-law, Larry Hills and Michael Hills and his wife Tina; many nieces and nephews, Stacy (Hills) Millward, her husband Chad, and daughter Kylee, Rachel Hills, Jordyn Hills, Matthew Smith and Alexis Rose and their children Harper and Hendrix, Kaleb Hills, his wife Sierra and their children Liam and Kade.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m., Saturday, May 21, in the sanctuary of the Christian Tabernacle, 18940 Johnson Road, Lincoln. A time of visitation will begin at 10 a.m.
Arrangements in the care of Short Funeral Services.
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to Christian Tabernacle Church, P.O. Box 148, Lincoln, DE 19960.
Online condolences or tributes are welcome for the family at shortfuneralservicesandcremation.com.
