William C. Sexton, N1IN SK Sexton, William C. Sep 22, 1928 - Sep 6, 2020 William Cottrell Sexton, 91, of Sarasota, Florida died on September 6th in his sleep. He is survived by his wife Bonnie and their son Paul. Bill, as he preferred to be called, was born in Baltimore in 1928 and spent his childhood in Ohio and Indiana. The son of Rev. Dr. Hardigg Sexton and Grace Deane Cottrell, Bill took a serious interest in journalism while in college at UNC Chapel Hill, and left school after one year when his part time job at United Press led to a full-time position in Raleigh in 1947. His association with UP/UPI would last 15 years, interrupted by two years with the Army in Germany, and senior positions at the UP London and New York bureaus. After a series of jobs in Kentucky, Texas and New York, in 1970 Bill took a position at Newsday, where he served as associate editor for most of the decade. In 1979, he and Bonnie were assigned to establish Newsday's Asia Bureau, one of four that China opened to Newsday and a handful of other American newspapers. After spending a few years in China and, later, Tokyo, Bill and Bonnie returned to Long Island and worked there until they retired in 1990. In 1991, Sexton retired and launched a new career with the Army Military Auxiliary Radio System (Army MARS), a Defense Department component of ham operators volunteering for backup communications during major disasters. He served as national public affairs officer for nearly two decades, and his service was recognized in 2017 when he received a Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for his service. During one of their four round trips around the United States in an RV, the Sexton's discovered and fell in love with Sarasota. There they followed a similar path that many Americans who have adopted Florida as their new home: a few weeks and later months discovering the natural wonders of the state, extending that time a little each year until - a decade or so later - they were fulltime Florida residents. Decades after twice conquering cancer and managing the physical consequences that followed, Bill kept himself active and healthy. Only the covid-19 related shutdowns put a cramp in his style as Selby Gardens and the Sarasota Orchestra shut down operations. Bill was grateful to be able to attend church services through the Facebook feed of his church, First Congregational United Church of Christ, Sarasota. He and his family truly appreciate the efforts of all those working to make everyone's lives better during this epidemic. We especially want to express our gratitude to Kelly and all of the rest of the wonderful people at All Stat Home Health. There will be a small service on October 17th for friends and family at UCC. Arrangements by All Veterans-All Families Funerals & Cremations. To Plant Memorial Trees in memory, please visit our Sympathy Store. https://www.allvetsusa.com/ Published in Herald Tribune from Oct. 15 to Oct. 16, 2020. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/h...x?n=william-c-sexton&pid=196950169&fhid=28975
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