William Prescott Childs

William Prescott Childs, 90, of Dorset, Vermont, passed away on March 10, 2026. Born in Berlin, Germany in 1935 to Roberta Lewis Childs and Prescott Childs while his father was stationed at the U.S. Consulate, Bill spent his early years alongside his older brother David moving between diplomatic posts in Barbados, Rio de Janeiro, Wellington, Havana, and Washington, D.C. Those formative years gave him a rich store of stories that he loved sharing with his children and grandchildren. He embraced a wide range of sports from an early age, including football, field hockey, cricket, tennis, skiing, swimming, and diving, pursuits that remained central to his life along with a lifelong appreciation for travel and good food.

After attending The Westminster School and Williston Academy, Bill spent a year at Washington and Lee University before enlisting in the Navy, where he trained as an Aerographer’s Mate. He later graduated from Yale in 1963. That same year he married Sheila Hoyt Scranton, beginning a loving partnership that would last 63 years. Together they worked at the Eaglebrook School, owned and operated the 1811 House inn in Manchester, Vermont, and restored a carriage house after settling outside Baltimore in 1980. They supported the arts wherever they lived, traveled widely with family and friends, and took greatest pride in raising their three daughters, Tina, Elizabeth, and Jennifer, enthusiastically supporting their pursuits and later doing the same for their seven grandchildren.

Bill’s greatest passion was racquet sports, particularly platform tennis. He and his brother David, competing in their 50s and 60s, won eleven National Championships in their age group over fourteen years. In 2005 both brothers were inducted into the Platform Tennis Hall of Fame, recognized as gentlemen whose competitiveness was matched by their sportsmanship and friendliness on and off the court.

After retiring from his work as an executive recruiter in 2000, Bill and Sheila returned to Dorset, Vermont, where he spent his final 26 years in a home overlooking the village green. Those who knew him described him as a wonderful, kind man, a true gentleman, and a steadfast friend. He is remembered for his wit, humility, and quiet appreciation of life’s simple pleasures.

Bill was preceded in death by his brother David Childs and great-granddaughter Charlotte Gunning. He is survived by his wife Sheila, daughters Christina Cutler (Greg), Elizabeth Childs, and Jennifer Pelletier (Steve), grandchildren Paige (Kaitlyn Litten) and Alexander Gunning (Katie), Carson Cutler, Mollie and Eli Caguin, and Madeleine and Henry Pelletier, and great-grandchildren Erin and Hazel Gunning.