William Hopkins Folwell (October 26, 1924 – February 7, 2022) was an American Episcopal prelate who served as the Bishop of Central Florida from 1970 until 1989.

Early life and education

Folwell was born on October 26, 1924, in

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, the son of Ralph Taylor Folwell and Sara Ewing Hopkins. He studied at the Georgia Institute of Technology and graduated with a Bachelor of Civil Engineering degree in 1947. During WWII, Folwell served as a Civil Engineer Corps Officer. He worked as an assistant traffic engineer for the City of Miami between 1947 and 1949. He married Christine Elizabeth Cramp on April 22, 1949, and had three children with her. He enrolled at

Seabury-Western Theological Seminary Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (SWTS) was a seminary of the Episcopal Church, located in Evanston, Illinois. It ceased operations as a residential seminary granting the Master of Divinity degree in May 2010, and in January 2012 it moved ...

from where he earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree in 1953. He was awarded an honorary doctorate from Seabury Western Theological Seminary and one from the University of the South.

Ordained ministry

Folwell was made deacon on June 2, 1952, by Bishop Henry I. Louttit Sr. of South Florida at St. Philip's Church,

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. He was then ordained priest in 1953. He served as vicar of St. Peter's Church in

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, from 1952 to 1955, and also as priest-in-charge of St. Luke's Church in

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, from 1954 to 1955. He then became assistant chaplain at

St. Martin's Episcopal School St. Martin's Episcopal School is a diocesan private school, private college preparatory school in Metairie, Louisiana, a suburb in New Orleans metropolitan area, Greater New Orleans. It is affiliated with St. Martin's Episcopal Church and the Episc ...

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

, and subsequently served as vicar of St. Augustine's Church in New Orleans from 1955 to 1956. In 1956 he became rector of St. Gabriel's Church in

Titusville, Florida Titusville is a city in eastern Florida and the county seat of Brevard County, Florida, United States. The city's population was 43,761 as of the 2010 United States Census. Titusville is located along the Indian River, west of Merritt Island and ...

, while in 1959 he became rector of

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Winter Park, Florida Winter Park is a city in Orange County, Florida, United States. The population was 30,183 according to the 2022 census population estimate. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Winter Park was f ...

Bishop

In 1970, Folwell was elected Bishop of Central Florida and was consecrated on February 11, 1970, at St. Luke's Cathedral in Orlando by Bishop Henry I. Louttit Sr. He retained the post until his retirement on December 31, 1989.

Personal life and death

Folwell died on February 7, 2022, at the age of 97, at Carolina Village, in

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and is survived by three children, six grandchildren and one great-grandson.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Folwell, William H. 1924 births 2022 deaths 20th-century Anglican bishops in the United States People from Port Washington, New York Georgia Tech alumni Seabury-Western Theological Seminary alumni Episcopal bishops of Central Florida