Willard ‘Bill’ Packard, of Vero Beach, passed away on June 30, 2015, at Indian River Medical Center.
He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Dr. Daryl Millman of Vero Beach; son Adam Packard (Chris) Chicago, Ill.; daughters Tamara Packard (Renee) of Madison, Wis., Emily Packard Dawson (Andrew) of Houston, Texas; sisters Gayle Packard D’Haeseleer (Ronald) and Judith Packard Gordon (John) of Charlevoix, Mich.; and brother James Packard of Suttons Bay, Mich.
Packard was born in Detroit, Mich., in 1943 to Willard and Carol. He graduated from Wayne State University and worked for several years in the family business before setting out on his own in a variety of entrepreneurial ventures.
He rose to great success as a commodities floor broker and account executive at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, on which he owned a seat. Packard enjoyed the “high Dive,” as he called it, swooping in to New York City to make a big deal and getting back to his family as fast as he could. His expertise in the Commodity Markets took him worldwide from China to London to the United Arab Emirates.
The Packards moved to Vero Beach in 1997 where he reinvented himself as a realtor. Armed with this engaging personality, Packard enjoyed meeting and socializing with people and playing with his friends. As a lung cancer survivor himself, Packard was a resource for others facing cancer, encouraging them with his own cure, treatment, and experiences at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.
A gathering of family and friends will be Saturday, July 4, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Downtown Hampton Inn, 611 – 20th Place, Vero Beach, Florida 32960.
In Lieu of Flowers, donations may be sent to M.D.Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, Texas 77070.
