Kim Coplien, a family friend, who informed us of Will's death, provided the following:
"I do know he joined the army in 1965. He did all his service in Hawaii on computers. I think he tracked all the Army personnel. He received a National Defense Service Medal and a Good Conduct Medal. He was very good with computers from an early age.
"I also know he was proud to have gone to Princeton and enjoyed the communications and magazine that came each month. He was not much for traveling so I am not surprised he did not attend any events.
"Will (that's what we called him) had no children and was divorced. I do have more photos from his [Badger] Honor Flight trip [to DC], but he did not take many pictures.
"My husband Mike and I had known Will for the last 20 years and he lived with us for a couple years after his divorce. He came down with cancer, multiple myeloma in 2016. In 2017 his wife started divorce proceedings which was not what Will wished. He was a wonderful friend to everyone who cared for him. Will enjoyed being an independent business person. He had his own computer consulting company, Accessible Computing Inc. He also had a Bee Care Company (enjoyed raising bees and selling honey). For a number of years he was also a realtor. He enjoyed living in the country and had built a wonderful home that was completely accessible to anyone in a wheelchair. While he built the house he had a company called Accessible Housing.
"He enjoyed cars; when he died he had 4 cars and a truck. One car was a 1973 BMW, which did not run, but had the potential. But his last love was his electric Bike, which is what he was riding when he died. He was very proud of owning a Mercedes Benz! even though it was a bike. For the last 6 weeks of his life he rode that bike nearly daily. Loving it that he did not need to buy gas. He was riding more than 40 miles a day.
"... in my life - he was a friend... a good friend and I miss him.
"Thank you for the birthday wishes, Bill would have been pleased."
Mike Witte remembers:
"So sorry to hear of Bill’s passing. My memories of him are fleeting but all positive; I recall him as a gentle soul, somewhat out of place at Princeton (how many of us WERE in place, especially in the first years of being there?) He was gone almost before anyone got to know him. I don't recall academic issues being the cause of his departure - I suspect he just decided to pursue his own path. I always wondered what had become of him. Reading his obituary, it’s clear that he had led a good life uniquely his own."
Photos from the Phillips Academy Yearbook
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