William A. Balkcom

William A. Balkcom, 84, of East Providence, R.I., passed away on Tuesday, August 13, 2024.

Born in Norwich, Conn., he was the son of the late George W. and Ursula M. Balkcom. Bill, as he was known to his family, was a resident of Riverside, R.I., for the past 55 years.

Bill was a very hard worker his entire life. He was employed as a machine operator for Klitzner Industries, Inc., for many years. To supplement his earnings, he worked as an event vendor at many of the venues in and around Rhode Island and nearby Massachusetts, including Rhode Island Auditorium, Providence Civic Center, Seekonk Speedway, and many parades in the area with the Bristol Fourth of July Parade being his favorite. In addition, he delivered newspapers as an adult carrier. These additional earnings helped Bill purchase and maintain his home and care for his family. He was a very caring family member. You could always count on him to call and wish you a happy birthday. He never forgot.

Bill was a huge fan of watching classic movies and was very proud of his collection. Early on, it was VHS tapes, then DVDs, to the extent that they took up a good portion of his bedroom. You could not stump him on movie trivia concerning his favorite stars — John Wayne, Jimmy Stuart, and Kirk Douglas. His favorite female star was Diane Lane. Bill also enjoyed watching professional golf. On many Sundays, he would be glued to the TV set watching the final rounds of PGA tournaments. He also had fond memories of seeing Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus compete in tournaments at the Pleasant Valley Country Club in Sutton, Mass., back in the late fifties and early sixties.

He also enjoyed playing cards. In his later years, you could find him at the East Providence Senior Center playing Cribbage and Hi-Lo-Jack. Being a member there afforded him the opportunity to go to Foxwoods Casino on trips — mostly to enjoy the vast buffet rather than for gambling. His other passion in life was collecting watches. He began his collection by wearing two watches — one for himself, and one for his late son, Billy, who passed away tragically at an early age. He added watches as the years went by.

Bill leaves a son Joseph, and former wife, Eunice Sampson, and her daughter, Lisa Sampson, all of Riverside, R.I. Another son William, Jr., predeceased him. He also leaves four siblings Ronald Balkcom of Smithfield, R.I. and his wife, Dorothy; Judith Beatrice of Wakefield, R.I; Richard Balkcom of Trinity, Fla.; and Joseph Balkcom and his wife, Marjorie, of Providence, R.I. Predeceased siblings are George Trager, James Troger, Jacqueline Collins, and David Balkcom. Also, many cousins, nephews, and nieces survive him.

His funeral and visitation will be held on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, from 10-11 AM in the PERRY-MCSTAY FUNERAL HOME, 2555 Pawtucket Avenue, East Providence with a service to follow at 11:00 AM. Burial will be held in Gate of Heaven Cemetery, 550 Wampanoag Trail, Riverside, R.I. In lieu of flowers, please consider making donations to the American Heart Association at www.heart.org