Obituary of William J Senior

William J Senior, 71, know to all his family and friends as Bill, passed away on November 7, 2024, after a long illness.  Bill was born in East Orange, NJ on Sep. 12, 1953, and grew up in East Orange and Newark.  He attended Sacred Heart School and Seton Hall Prep, where he was introduced to art.  Bill began painting at the age of 14 and quickly took to watercolor.  After graduating from high school, he attended the Newark School of Fine and Industrial Arts, where he perfected his amazing artistic talent.

Bill began exhibiting and selling his artwork and he taught his first art class at the age of 19.  This began a long career of teaching and demonstrating watercolor techniques throughout New Jersey and beyond.  He taught for many years at the DuCret School of Art, the Montclair Art Museum, the Yard School of Art, and the visual Arts Center in Summit to name a few. He helped to cultivate many budding artists and many of his students have kept in touch with him over the years.

As significant as art was to him, it didn’t even come close to his #1 priority, his family.  He had an excellent relationship with his parents, Bill and Jane, and was extremely close to them. He was a loving husband to his wife Barbara, who he spent 42 wonderful years with, and an amazing, caring and supportive father to his two children, Tim and Patty.  Every minute of his life was dedicated to them, and he was with them in every situation. He loved spending time with his family, visiting friends, going on summer family trips and mostly enjoy a good laugh and conversing with his son, Tim, who was his faithful and loving caregiver while he was disabled for the past 20 years.                                                         

He was a member of the Community of God’s Love in Rutherford and was a former President of the NJ Watercolor Society as well as a member of several other organizations.

He was preceded by his father Bill, and is survived by his mother, Jane, his wife, Barbara, son, Tim, and daughter, Patty, as well as many in-laws, nieces, nephews, cousins and dear friends. He will be greatly missed.