October 27, 2025, 81, Goldsboro —
William Norwood Swinson, affectionately known as Billy, passed away peacefully on Monday, October 27, 2025, at the Kitty Askins Hospice Center, at the age of 81. Billy was born in Greenville, Pennsylvania, on September 19, 1944, to the late Rufus Norwood Swinson and Margaret Elizabeth Meeker Swinson.
From the very beginning, Billy was a special child — one whose needs were unique but whose spirit was pure and full of quiet grace. At the age of three, his loving parents entrusted his care to the O’Berry Neuro-Medical Center in Goldsboro, where he would spend the rest of his life surrounded by compassionate caregivers who became his extended family.
Through the decades, the staff at O’Berry Center provided Billy with love, comfort, and stability. His gentle presence touched the hearts of all who cared for him. Though he may not have experienced life in the same way as others, his life was meaningful, and his story one of enduring love and kindness.
Billy will lie in state on Monday, November 3, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. at Seymour Funeral Home. A graveside service will be held on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. in Willow Dale Cemetery.
While Billy leaves no immediate family behind, his memory will live on in the hearts of the many caregivers, nurses, and friends at O’Berry Center who became his family through the years. Their love and devotion were a beautiful reflection of the compassion that defined Billy’s life.
