William “Bill” A. Salsbery, 76, of Somers Point, NJ passed away on February 17, 2022 surrounded by his loving family.
Bill was the devoted husband of Barbara (Bunnell) Salsbery, his loving wife of 55 years and will be missed so dearly by his two sons, William P. (Carrie) Salsbery of Cherry Hill and Jason R. (Liz) Salsbery of Egg Harbor Township. To his four grandsons, Zachary, Justin, Jay and Dylan, he was their hero and will be missed more than words can express.
Born in Philadelphia, PA he was the loving son of the late Donald and Ruth (Sansenbach) Salsbery. He was proudly raised in the Olney section of Philadelphia and a graduate of Lincoln High School class of 1964. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by two brothers (Buddy and Bobby) and a sister that passed before his birth (Carol).
Bill joined the Philadelphia Police Department in 1965 and went on to join the Narcotics unit in 1969 until his retirement from the force in 1990. In that time Bill conducted over 5,400 criminal investigations and coordinated the juvenile drug enforcement effort in the school systems of Philadelphia. Following his retirement from the Philadelphia Police Department, he worked as the Regional Security Prevention Manager for Sun Oil for five years. During that time, he moved his family to their home in Somers Point to be near the beach where his family spent summer vacations for so many years. Bill then worked as contract security manager at Atlantic City International Airport where he transitioned to supervisory government positions with the Department of Homeland Security after the 9/11 tragedy. Bill also worked for the Office of Public Defender of NJ and finished his working years as a security officer for Stockton University at the Seaview Country Club.
Bill was a Life Member of the Philadelphia Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #5 and a member of the Elks Club of North Wildwood. He was well known to be an avid golfer, loved to play cards with his friends and relax on the St. Charles beach in Ocean City with his wife and family but his greatest joy in life was watching his grandchildren compete on the courts and fields of South Jersey. Bill loved the game of baseball and passed along that trait to his boys and grandchildren. Bill coached his sons and their friends for many years while growing up in Olney and helped start the tee-ball program at Olney Athletic Association before there was a place for his boys to play. Bill embodied the positive virtues of happiness, love, generosity, dependability, respectability and will always be remembered for his catch phrase Keep Smilin’!
To celebrate a life well lived, relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend Bill’s Life Celebration on Friday, February 25th from 1:00 – 4:00 pm at Josie Kelly’s Public House, 908 Shore Road, Somers Point, NJ 08244. Eulogy and words of remembrance to proceed at 2:30 pm. Lunch and cocktails to be served during the course of his Life Celebration.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at www.Stjude.org. To leave condolences, pay respects, or share a special memory of Bill, please visit www.jeffriesandkeates.com. Arrangements entrusted to Jeffries and Keates Funeral Home 609-646-3400.
