Obituary for William H. "Bill" Furlong Jr.
WATERFORD William H. Furlong Jr. (64) of Waterford (formerly of Valley Falls) returned to his Lord and Savior on Thursday December 31, 2020 surrounded by his family. He was stricken by thyroid cancer that went undiagnosed for five years. He was one of Dr. Sproat’s babies having been born at home in Valley Falls on January 10, 1956 to the late William “Red” Furlong and Kathryn Ryan Furlong. Bill graduated from Hoosic Valley High School in 1974 and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from St. Leo College in Florida, and master’s degrees from Johnson State College in Vermont and Antioch New England University in New Hampshire.
Bill is survived by his wife and best friend, Julianne Galarneau Furlong whom he married on June 1, 1991, his daughter AnnaRae Furlong, son John “Jack” Furlong and father-in-law Raymond Galarneau all of Waterford, his sister Kathryn Amazon of North Carolina, sister-in-law Laurie Kuhne of Clifton Park, brother-in-law Edmond Galarneau (Tom) of Albany, cousin Linda Furlong of Johnsonville, five nieces and nephews and many former friends in the Corinth area. Bill was preceded in death by his dear friend and mother-in-law Donna Galarneau with whom he shared a special bond.
Bill had a forty year career working with developmentally disabled people in a variety of settings including OPWDD (Office for Persons With Developmental Disabilities), Vanderheyden Hall, Center for Disability Services, Rutland Mental Health, Rensselaer ARC, Saratoga Bridges, Helderberg House, Albany ARC and AIM services. He prided himself on his ability to work with behaviorally active individuals showing compassionate support and building relationships with them at their level. Bill had quite a “Green Thumb” and enjoyed caring for his plants with some being over four decades old. He was a homebody who enjoyed tinkering with his multiple aquariums, playing sudoku and loving on his two Golden Retriever ‘angels’, Macy and Stella. He never let a day pass without commenting, “It’s so good to be home”. He was an avid lap swimmer, a die-hard New York Mets and Albany Patroons fan and never missed any of his children’s St. Mary’s CYO and Catholic Central High School sporting events. He attended as many Lynyrd Skynyrd and Stevie Ray Vaughn concerts as he possibly could. Bill was a communicant of St. Mary’s Church in Waterford, a long-time member of the Knights of Columbus and a proud son of the American Legion Post 1450 in Clifton Park. He served as a Village Trustee in Valley Falls where he spent most of his life.
Bill wanted to issue a huge thank you to our Saratoga Bridges family, Community Hospice and all the other caring people that he met along his travels which made his life worth living.
A Memorial Mass will be offered at St. Mary of the Assumption Church, 119 Broad St., Waterford on Tuesday at 10 am.
As per pandemic regulations, masks are required, social distancing practiced and occupancy limitations observed.
There will be no calling hours.
In lieu of flowers, Bill has requested donations to the following organization on his behalf: Saratoga Bridges; Waterford Rescue Squad or the Valley Falls Free Library.
Bill is survived by his wife and best friend, Julianne Galarneau Furlong whom he married on June 1, 1991, his daughter AnnaRae Furlong, son John “Jack” Furlong and father-in-law Raymond Galarneau all of Waterford, his sister Kathryn Amazon of North Carolina, sister-in-law Laurie Kuhne of Clifton Park, brother-in-law Edmond Galarneau (Tom) of Albany, cousin Linda Furlong of Johnsonville, five nieces and nephews and many former friends in the Corinth area. Bill was preceded in death by his dear friend and mother-in-law Donna Galarneau with whom he shared a special bond.
Bill had a forty year career working with developmentally disabled people in a variety of settings including OPWDD (Office for Persons With Developmental Disabilities), Vanderheyden Hall, Center for Disability Services, Rutland Mental Health, Rensselaer ARC, Saratoga Bridges, Helderberg House, Albany ARC and AIM services. He prided himself on his ability to work with behaviorally active individuals showing compassionate support and building relationships with them at their level. Bill had quite a “Green Thumb” and enjoyed caring for his plants with some being over four decades old. He was a homebody who enjoyed tinkering with his multiple aquariums, playing sudoku and loving on his two Golden Retriever ‘angels’, Macy and Stella. He never let a day pass without commenting, “It’s so good to be home”. He was an avid lap swimmer, a die-hard New York Mets and Albany Patroons fan and never missed any of his children’s St. Mary’s CYO and Catholic Central High School sporting events. He attended as many Lynyrd Skynyrd and Stevie Ray Vaughn concerts as he possibly could. Bill was a communicant of St. Mary’s Church in Waterford, a long-time member of the Knights of Columbus and a proud son of the American Legion Post 1450 in Clifton Park. He served as a Village Trustee in Valley Falls where he spent most of his life.
Bill wanted to issue a huge thank you to our Saratoga Bridges family, Community Hospice and all the other caring people that he met along his travels which made his life worth living.
A Memorial Mass will be offered at St. Mary of the Assumption Church, 119 Broad St., Waterford on Tuesday at 10 am.
As per pandemic regulations, masks are required, social distancing practiced and occupancy limitations observed.
There will be no calling hours.
In lieu of flowers, Bill has requested donations to the following organization on his behalf: Saratoga Bridges; Waterford Rescue Squad or the Valley Falls Free Library.