William L. Dupont

William L. Dupont, 84, of Gorham, NH, passed away on Monday, February 1, 2021 at the Merriman House in North Conway. He was born in Berlin, NH on November 1, 1936 the son of Leo and Dorothy (McGivney) Dupont and lived most of his life in the Berlin-Gorham area. As a young man Billy excelled in athletics, particularly baseball where he served as a pitcher. It was rumored that he could throw a ball nearly 100 MPH and even caught the eye of a scout for the Boston Red Sox and was invited to Boston for a tryout. During this time he was also playing minor league ball in Canada. After hanging up his glove he began working in the beverage industry otherwise known as the “Beer Business”. He worked for White Mountain Distributors in Berlin for the Clarke family in Keene NH who also had a distributorship there. He started as a Salesperson and ultimately was promoted to General Manager, a role he served in for many years. The number one Brand they carried was Budweiser and over time Billy became known to many as “Billy Bud”. During his time here, he served his community with pride and was always willing to help those in need. His civic contributions were many but none were greater than that of the Special Olympics. For over a decade Billy organized a golf tournament known as the Michelob Pub Open (sponsored by Michelob and Fagins Pub) with all proceeds benefiting the Special Olympics. He filled the Wambuack and AVCC Golf courses to max capacity and fun was had by all. Each cart even got a complimentary case of Michelob at the start of the tournament, on ice of course. (Boy, those were the days!) His genuine love of others shined through in many of these types of charity events where he was always willing to lend a helping hand.



Billy enjoyed everything the north country had to offer, particularly the outdoors. As a young man he worked as a clerk in the Phillips Brook territory for timber operations. He hunted and fished that land for over 60 years and mastered its 10,000 acres, rarely needing to look at his compass. In 1969 he and his hunting buddies acquired a camp in West Milan, infamously known as “Lang Road Associates''. Over the last 50 years so many special memories were made as all of the families joined together to enjoy snowmobile weekends, summer outings and of course, deer season! Never in 50 years has an opening day of deer season been missed. It became a destination for the local hunters to meet and swap stories at the end of the hunt. It probably didn't hurt that in true Billy Bud style, the camp had a full draft beer system. Folk legends say the record season was 13 barrels. We are certain that this is where he earned another endearing nickname “ Wild Bill” . For those of you that have had the pleasure of enjoying the life long friendships and camaraderie shared during deer season you will understand the bonds that were built in that very special camp with Billy. As he would often say “The Best” !!!



Since Billy’s passing many of his friends and former employees have reached out and the words used to describe him are as follows: Legendary, an Icon, larger than life, Loyal and The end of an Era. Most of us could only hope to be remembered in such a fashion. This is evidenced by a post his daughter Stephanie placed on facebook on the evening of his passing. As of this moment over 500 people have commented. Legendary to say the least. He touched the spirit of many as often he could be found offering words of encouragement to those that needed it. He loved working with kids and coaching them. He was a big man with an even bigger heart that loved his family and his smile was always brightest when talking about them. He spent every moment he had around his children and grandchildren. These moments were his fondest.



The love of his life was his wife Karen. Together they enjoyed retirement and wintered in Fort Myers Florida at the Seven Lakes Community where they were very active golfers. They also traveled twice to Italy and to Greece, Paris and most all of the island hot spots. They enjoyed cooking together, particularly on Sundays and had a fondness for Italian food. They also loved all sports in New England and enjoyed watching the games together.



Family includes his wife Karen (Lambertson) Dupont of Gorham, NH; children Stephanie Hanlon and husband Shawn of Gorham, NH, James Dupont and wife Cheryle of Blue Ridge, GA, Paul Dupont and wife Susan of Columbus, GA and Mary Ellen Ellerbee and husband Rick of Columbus, GA; 7 grandchildren; 8 great grandchildren; sister Jean Baldassara and husband Dominic of Berlin, NH; nieces, nephews and cousins.



Walk Through Visitation will be held on Saturday, February 6, 2021 from 2-4pm at the Bryant Funeral Home, 1 Promenade St., Gorham. Masks and Social Distancing will be observed. Funeral Services will be private. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Billy’s memory to the Merriman House, 3073 White Mountain Highway, North Conway, NH 03860. Memories and condolences may be shared online at www.bryantfuneralhome.net.