Born in Sekondi on the 4th of December, 1934 of Mr. Henry McCarthy Vroom a renowned accountant in his days and Mrs. Florence Esther Vroom (Nee Abraham), both of blessed memory. The late Mr. William Plange-Vroom was the sixth of eight children. Willie was a stock of the Ameyaw Nsona Clan of Elmina and Tekyiman in the Brong Ahafo Region, and a grand child of the late His Excellency Hendrick Vroom( KCMG), the then Governor of the Gold Coast now Ghana.
He attended and completed the Elmina Methodist School in1949, not only with distinction, but also as a Head Prefect. What is significant and more admirable to us was that he maintained his first position through out his elementary education. He later attended the prestigious Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast, where his academic brilliance rewarded him with good grades. He was an obvious candidate for University education, but he chose to enter the commercial field to commence a life-long career.
His working life history spanning over forty years, commenced with Mrssrs Ken Harrison & Company, dealers in miscellaneous commercial products and advertisement. He could not resist his penchant for further studies , as a result of which he sojourned to Sierra Leone where he felt he could secure easy access to proceed to London, his preferred choice of destination for further studies. It was in Sierra Leone that he courted the friendship of Miss Rosetta Knox Harding, resulting in marriage later by holy matrimony. It was a fulfilled ambition when they both proceeded to London, not only to acquire knowledge, but also work to support themselves.
While in London, he enrolled and attended a number of Institutions including the Regent Street Polytechnic, London as a private student and at the same, working to finance his education. He successfully graduated in production, marketing and salesmanship. Employed subsequently by the giant Uniliver Company (USA) in London for their Subsidiary Company Messrs A.J. Seward, he returned to Ghana in 1967 to take up appointment as Production /Sales Manager. He was later on joined by his dutiful wife Rosetta in 1968 who also worked as a Catering Officer at the Ghana Commercial Bank Head Office, Accra. At A.J. Seward, he employed a good number of people who still hold him in high esteem.
After fifteen years of service, he resigned and took up a Consultancy Agency work which took him to Kumasi Candle Factory. After the expiration of the contract he sojourned to the USA in 1990 where he joined his nephew Mr. Stanford Maison, a Real Estate Broker where he used his immense experience to help establish a brokerage firm (Maison Realty) which is still standing till today. As a senior citizen in America he took computer lessons and worked part-time for Muhlenberg Hospital in Plainfield where he has established his residence.
Despite his long absence from home, he is still remembered by a good many members of the family, because of his kindness which was always expressed with a gaiety of heart that was entrancing.
The quietude was in his character, and he was utterly proud of his family heritage. Profoundly proud of African Culture, Willie would always strain every nerve to upload the dignity and the least virtue discernible in the African and his modest achievement.
He left behind four children, one boy and three girls and six grand children.
His health of late had not been the best, and little did we expect that his exit was near. Non-the-less, he had to submit to the will of God, passing away peacefully on Saturday August 2nd, 2008.
He will be sorely missed by the family, but pain and not death is the enemy to be combated.
May the good Lord grant him eternal benediction.
