William Thaddeus “Bill” Sexton Jr. was an iconoclast. He fit no mold very well as a cadet, but he managed to keep his head above the fray so that neither the Dean nor the Commandant made any serious inroads on his defenses. He was one of the elder statesmen of his class, which, of course, gave him a leg up on the rest of his plebe classmates. His wisdom was suspect, however, as he entered West Point after already having spent two years at Georgia Tech. He also had some prior enlisted time. Although they were not close, his father may have had some influence on that West Point choice. Major General William Sexton Sr. ’24, was retiring as an old artilleryman in 1956 just as his son’s class was first marching out to Trophy Point.
But Bill was not one to follow in anyone else’s footsteps. He was not a jock. You would not see him in the gym in a pickup basketball game on Saturday night or any other elective athletics. Yet, when required, he managed to hold up his end of the bargain in the boxing ring, the swimming pool, and on the intramural fields. Although he probably never said it, his entire demeanor and approach to life exuded the maxim, “This, too, shall pass.” He mingled well with everyone and had many friends. He had a subtle sense of humor, but it usually had some burrs on it, and the pithy, sardonic remarks muttered under his breath generated a lot of chuckles in the ranks.
Bill was born in Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD, on September 15, 1934 to Major General William and Mary Sexton. He has a younger sister, Jennifer Sowers, currently living in Seattle. He had a less than ideal childhood and spent a good deal of time in a boarding school. After high school, he spent a couple of years at Georgia Tech. He then enlisted in the Army until he obtained an appointment to West Point from Representative Clifford R. Hope of the 5th District of Kansas. Upon graduating in 1960, Bill was commissioned in the Infantry but soon effected a branch transfer to Military Intelligence.
His first Military Intelligence assignment was at the Branch School at Fort Devens, MA. It was there that he met his future bride, Joycelyn Mazotas of Hartford, CT. It was also there, ironically, that he introduced Joycelyn’s sister Shirley to another classmate and her future husband, Joal Davis. Bill and Joycelyn were married in Hartford, CT on March 24, 1962. It was at the Picatinny Arsenal that their first Christmas present, Cynthia Louise Sexton (Zuniga), was born on December 21, 1962. Daughter Wendy Ann Sexton (Miller) was born on June 21, 1964 in Hartford and their third daughter, Maribeth Irene Sexton (Derer), was born in Germany on March 15, 1966. His children always felt that he loved them very much. A parent cannot hope for a better outcome than that. Cindy’s favorite memories are of his taking them sailing and fishing, playing the guitar, and helping her steal a bunny from the Fort Sam Houston quadrangle. He was an accomplished flamenco guitar player, and Cindy enjoyed listening to him play. He had two overseas tours in Germany and two in Vietnam. He had stateside assignments at Fort Holabird, MD (twice), West Point and Fort Sam Houston, TX. It might have seemed a bit ironic to Bill to be stationed at West Point as a security officer. Because of his prior enlisted service, Bill was able to retire in 1979. Bill and Joycelyn were divorced in June of 1982, but neither ever remarried, and they remained lifelong friends to the end. Joycelyn passed away due to lung cancer in 2006, devastating Bill.
In the latter third of his life there were three things that gave him great pleasure: his abiding faith in Christianity, his burgeoning capabilities with the Flamenco guitar, and his three grandchildren: Meredith Anne Miller, Eric Andrew Derer and Michael Scott Derer. He progressed through the three stages of a senior living facility in Kyle, TX. First was independent living, then assisted living and for the final three years Bill was in the memory care facility as vascular dementia took over his life. While he resided at independent living, he remarked in surprise that the women who lived there were very “forward.” He was one of the few men there who still had his hair, and the ladies liked to run their fingers through it during mealtime. While he resided in assisted living, he developed quite a reputation for having a sweet tooth, and the staff there affectionately referred to him as the “Cookie Monster.” He was one of a small select group that received smuggled treats late at night from the kitchen. There were times, of course, when he was not himself, but there were also times when the real Bill Sexton shone through. That Bill Sexton, the one his friends knew from happier times, was warm, engaging, humorous and kind. His daughters were frequent visitors. He passed away on October 13, 2017. His daughter Cindy was at his side singing religious songs and reading from the Bible.
He was a good soldier who spent a lifetime serving his family and his country. Well Done, Bill; Be Thou at Peace.