Obituary of William Daly

In loving memory of our beloved William “Bill” Daly -

William Daly, aged 89, passed peacefully at his home, Brookdale Senior Living in West Orange, New Jersey, with his daughter Kristen at his side on October 10, 2024. He is preceded in death by his beloved wife of 44 years, Claire Myers Daly. He is survived by his daughter Erika Kristen Schwarz, her husband, Michael Sylvester, his son Michael Myers and wife Paulette, his son John Wojick, and daughter Sharon Roth and husband Wayne. He also has three beloved grandchildren, Jason Roth, Samuel Myers and Sarah Myers, as well as two great granddaughters, Hadley and Harper Roth.

William, or “Bill” as he was affectionately called by everyone, was born in Glascow, Scotland on May 4, 1935 to Jessie Macfarland Daly and James Daly. Due to a variety of family challenges during World War II, Bill was placed in Quarriers Homes, an orphanage outside of Glascow, with his two younger brothers, James and Stephen, who both preceded him in death.  

While growing up without his parents, Bill always appreciated his upbringing at Quarriers Homes, stating he was treated kindly and was given a solid education and a strong sense of responsibility and decency.  During his time there, he loved to run through the hills and woods and described how he ran everywhere, to school to church to his house and developed a love of playing football (soccer).  

At the age of 16, Bill was given an apprenticeship in the shipyards in Glascow, where he developed his strong work ethic.  As a young man, he then joined the British Merchant Navy, and sailed on tanker ships all over the globe, from Egypt, Thailand, China, Australia and more. Eventually, he emigrated to the United States in 1969, when he was offered a job as salesman for an industrial pumps company. Devilishly good looking and charming, with his Scottish brogue, he was the consummate ladies man, until he moved to New Jersey, where he met the love of his life, in 1975, his wife Claire, who he was devoted to until her death from Alzheimer’s Disease, in 2019.

Bill and Claire lived in Burlington, New Jersey and he started his own company, Pump Rentals, where he also worked with son Michael.  Eventually, he and his wife Claire began buying rental properties in Burlington and started their real estate rental company, Daly Associates. Bill continued to run the company until his retirement eight years ago.

After the death of his wife, Bill was also diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He moved to Brookdale Senior Living in West Orange, New Jersey, where he could be close to his daughter Kristen. There, he became the “Mayor of Brookdale”, cheerfully greeting everyone with a loving touch on the arm and a “oh honey” and always drinking a cup of tea. Bill became a much beloved member of the Brookdale community.

Bill was in many ways a “jack of all trades”; figuring out ways to jerry rig or “Daly rig” to fix things. He loved working with his hands and was constantly on the go, getting up at 5am to walk four or five miles before his favorite breakfast of tea and porridge. He then would walk again several miles in the afternoon!  His family called him the “Energizer Bunny.”  Bill loved animals, always stopping to pet a “wee dog” or “wee cat”.  He was an avid reader of biographies and loved classical music and going to the Philadelphia Orchestra with his wife Claire. Surprisingly, he loved to sing and had a lovely tenor singing voice.  And Bill, so full of life and energy, with his devilish sense of humor and charm, always loving and kind, was, as wife Claire, called a “Magic Man.”  Bill loved his wife and his family deeply.  And by his children, Kristen, Micheal, John and Sharon, grandchildren, Jason, Samuel and Sarah, and extended his family of friends and Brookdale family, Bill is truly beloved. We all love you.

Funeral Services will be held at Dangler Funeral Home of West Orange on Monday, October 14 2024 from 1 - 4pm. In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Alzheimer’s Association would be greatly appreciated by the family.