Obituary of William H. Hudson

BATH, NY: Bill Hudson, 87, of Bath, NY passed peacefully into the presence of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ on Thursday, March 16, 2023. He was born in Camillus, NY on November 8, 1935 to Walter Wiegand Hudson and Laura Helene (Scott) Hudson.

Joanne, the love of his life, and Bill enjoyed more than 66 years of marriage together. They shared an exceptionally close bond. In addition to his beloved wife, Bill is survived by his four sons: Walter (Amy) of Culpeper, VA; Russell (Lynn) of San Jose, CA; Steven of Gaithersburg, MD; Philip (Gloria) of Bath, NY. Bill is also survived by 16 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren, his brother Earl (Barb) Hudson, and sisters-in-law Ardy Lake, Lola (Rowland) Stanard, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Paul, and daughter-in-law Martha.

Bill attended Cornell University where he received a Bachelor’s degree in Animal Husbandry in 1957 and a Master’s degree in Agriculture in 1976.

As a young man, Bill worked with his father on their family farm near Syracuse. He and his young family moved to Bath in 1969 to work as a county agent for Cornell Cooperative Extension where he traveled Steuben County extensively visiting area farms and providing consultation to farmers on best practices. In 1984, Bill and Joanne launched a business in their home, Finger Lakes Farm Services, specializing in farm and small business accounting and tax preparation. Many clients benefited from Bill’s attention to detail and knowledge of tax code, but more importantly, he treated them as friends. Because he enjoyed great purpose in serving his clients, he only recently downsized the business and fully retired.

Bill and Joanne were active members in the Centenary United Methodist Church in Bath for many years. Since 1988, they have been members of Friends of the Cross Christian Church in Corning where he served as an elder, Sunday school teacher, home fellowship leader, and treasurer. Bill developed a number of close friendships with residents at the Bath VA Medical Center through leading a weekly Bible study there for over 20 years.

After a brief hospital stay in October and nearly 6 weeks in a rehab center, with the help of special caregivers and Care First hospice care, the family was able to bring Bill home so that he could be with his sweetheart Joanne during his last chapter of life. He will be remembered as a wise, godly man of integrity, selfless, kind, gentle, patient, steadfast, amiable, hard-working and witty.

There will be a memorial service on Sunday, March 26 at 3 PM, with a meal to follow at Friends of the Cross Christian Church, 2618 Goff Road, Corning NY 14830.  All are welcome.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in his honor to Friends of the Cross Christian Church or Care First.