William "Bill" Stone Browder, Sr.

William Stone Browder, age 94, of Carrollton, GA, passed away peacefully on July 19, 2026, leaving behind a legacy of love, integrity, hard work, and unwavering devotion to family. His life was defined not by titles or possessions, but by the people he loved, the values he lived by, and the countless lives he touched over nearly ninety-five remarkable years.

Bill was born on November 23, 1931, in Buffalo, NY, the youngest of six children born to Edward Preston Browder Sr. and Alice Clara (Pries) Browder. He lost his mother at the age of three, a tragedy that shaped his childhood but never diminished his resilience. Throughout his life, he often spoke with gratitude for the many aunts, uncles, and relatives who helped raise him during those early years in New York and Virginia.

In 1942, his family relocated to Charlotte, NC, where Bill spent his formative years before attending Porter Military Academy in Charleston, SC. He often credited those four years with giving him the discipline, structure, and direction that helped define the rest of his life. At Porter, he excelled academically, participated in athletics and student leadership, and graduated in 1949 as a cadet officer.

While attending school in Charleston, Bill met the love of his life, Mary Eleanor Heins. Their first official date was on Halloween night in 1948, beginning a love story that lasted more than six decades. They married on January 13, 1952, when Bill was 20 and Eleanor was 18. Together they built a marriage founded on friendship, faithfulness, laughter, perseverance, and unconditional love. Bill often said they grew up together and became true soulmates.

Their marriage was blessed with three children: Debra Ann, William Stone Jr., and Robert Scott. The tragic loss of their son Scott in 1981 was the greatest sorrow of Bill’s life, but he and Eleanor leaned on one another through unimaginable grief, emerging with an even deeper appreciation for family and for every day they were given together.

Bill spent nearly four decades in sales and sales management, beginning with Morton Salt Company and later serving in executive sales leadership through several corporate mergers, eventually retiring in 1993 after 38 years of dedicated service. His career took him throughout the United States and around the world, yet no matter where work carried him, his greatest joy was returning home to Eleanor and their family.

He was known for his exceptional work ethic, practical wisdom, and ability to fix almost anything with his own hands. He loved woodworking, home improvement projects, camping, swimming, motorcycles, traveling, reading, and caring for the family’s rental properties. He found equal satisfaction in building a deck, teaching a grandchild, planning a family vacation, or simply sitting beside Eleanor.

After retirement, Bill and Eleanor settled in Carrollton, GA, where they built the home they would share for the rest of her life. They became active members of Carrollton First Methodist Church and treasured the friendships they formed there. Following Eleanor’s passing in 2016 after a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease, Bill remained devoted to her memory, visiting her grave and the Carrollton Alzheimer’s Memory Garden often and speaking of her every day. He never stopped loving the young woman whose hand he first held on a Charleston sidewalk in 1948.

Above all else, Bill was devoted to his family. He believed that success was measured not by wealth, but by love, honesty, faithfulness, and raising children who would become caring adults. He took immense pride in watching his family grow through children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, and delighted in sharing family stories, life lessons, and generous gifts that reflected his lifelong desire to help others while he was still here to enjoy their happiness.

Bill was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Eleanor Heins Browder; his son, Robert Scott Browder; his stillborn granddaughter, Lindsey Kaye; his daughter-in-law, Jane Browder; his parents; and all of his siblings.

He is survived by his daughter, Debra Browder Williams and her husband, Donny, of Carrollton, Georgia; his son, William Stone Browder Jr. of Gainesville, Georgia; his grandchildren, Meredith Williams Potts (Ty) of Friona, TX, William Stone Browder III of Auburn, GA, and Darin Scott Williams (Kristin) of Milton, GA; great-grandchildren Noella, Clara, and Miller Williams; extended family; and many dear friends whose lives were enriched by his kindness, humor, and steadfast example.

Bill often said that his greatest accomplishment was not his career, but his wife, his children, and the family they created together. He hoped that after his passing, those who loved him would remember not sadness, but gratitude—for a life well lived, a marriage well loved, and a family deeply cherished.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 11AM in the chapel of Almon Funeral Home with Rev. Travis Sneed officiating. The family will receive friends on Saturday from 10am until service time. His cremated remains will be laid to rest beside his beloved Eleanor and their son Scott at Arlington Memorial Park in Sandy Springs on August 2, 2026, fulfilling his wish that they be together again.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be made to an Alzheimer’s charity of your choice or to First Methodist Church of Carrollton in honor of Bill and Eleanor’s lifelong faith and enduring love.

“Someday, we’ll be holding hands again…forever.”

Messages of condolence may be express to the family online at www.almonfuneralhome.com

Almon Funeral Home of Carrollton has charge of arrangements.