18 years was not enough time...

On October 29, 2008, we walked along a New England autumn-leaf sidewalk into a courthouse, into a future, the second happiest day of our lives. William was 7 and Patrick was 5. This was the day a judge officially, or legally, made us a family. But really, we were already a family....ever since the first happiest day for our family, when the boys were 5½ and 3½ and they moved into their forever home with us.

When William turned 18, his life took an unforeseen path. His mental health began to decline, drastically and rapidly. After many hospitalizations and many diagnoses, schizophrenia became clear. It was a long, difficult, and painful journey for him. On March 27, 2025, William died by suicide, at the age of 23.

William was a bright kid; he excelled at math. His start in life was hard and unkind. Perhaps he took from that a sense of not losing a moment of life to live. He was spontaneous. Like the time he got his driver’s license. He was SO excited that all he wanted to do was drive somewhere and experience that independence. He packed a backpack and drove to Florida with no plan. That was pure WILLIAM. 

William was full of kindness with a bright smile. As a child, he played soccer and lacrosse and dominated at family games of Monopoly. He loved nighttime swimming and watching TV in pajamas under a warm blanket.

William and school never really mixed. William dreamed of being an entrepreneur. He wanted to start his own business. Begrudgingly, his dad and I supported his decision to stop school altogether. He worked two jobs and saved over twenty-four thousand dollars over the course of two years. He was determined and it paid off—he started his own successful landscaping business with a small crew working for him. William’s ambition and dreams were limitless.

William loved music. When William sang, his mind was clear and his heart was full. Singing for hours felt like just a blink of an eye for William. An eternity of music and singing now awaits him. 

William’s obituary read:
William Henry Fowler, raised in Stoughton and Marshfield, died on Thursday, March 27, 2025. He was the beloved son of Todd and Peter Fowler and a devoted brother to Patrick Fowler, the late Mallory Humphreys, Kelsey Humphreys, Kyle Humphreys, Michael Silva, and CJ Fitts. William was also a loving grandson, nephew, cousin, and friend.

William was full of kindness with a bright smile. As a child, William played soccer and lacrosse and dominated at family games of Monopoly and enjoyed playing basketball. He loved nighttime swimming and watching TV in pajamas under a warm blanket. He was spontaneous and longed to live life. William was always up for a road trip to Saratoga or Pennsylvania, and the day after he got his license, he took a solo road trip all the way to Florida to put his feet in the sand. William attended public schools but always felt that the greatest teacher was life itself. At 17, William saved every paycheck and all his tips from Dunkin to start a successful landscaping business. William’s ambition and dreams were limitless.

William loved large iced coffees (no ice) with 4 cream and 8 sugar, Kraft mac and cheese, Harry Potter, dinner at IHOP, Disney movies, and pizza from Town Spa. He was an unapologetic fan of Chick-fil-A. But above all, William loved music. When William sang, his mind was clear and his heart was full. Singing for hours felt like just a blink of an eye for William. An eternity of music and singing now awaits him.

In the words of one of William’s favorites, Michael Jackson, “Heal the world, make it a better place, for you and for me.”