Bill was born and lived in Richfield for 9 decades. He was a direct descendent of Roger Williams, the first Governor of Rhode Island. He was married and had twin daughters. He worked for East Ohio Gas Company; kept the books for Pickands-Mather, a Lake Erie Ore Hauling service. He quit because of the long hours, he figured “they fought the Civil War to free the slaves” and went to work in his father’s store, the hours were longer 7am to 11pm, but he said he had more fun.  He was a “genial cracker barrel philosopher” presiding over an old-fashion general store equipped with a potbellied stove at Rt. 303 & Brecksville Rd. The boy’s “Black Stove League” operated seven days a week, discussing politics often as heatedly as the fire in the pot-bellied stove. He quit storekeeping in 1952 and worked until he was 66 for Motor Cargo Trucking, because he liked Owen Orr’s of the Trucking operation. In 1972 he was elected “Citizen of the year” in Richfield. He was a charter member and past president of the Cuyahoga Valley Civil War Roundtable; a charter member of the Richfield Civic Association; first president of the Bath-Richfield Kiwanis Club; a Deacon & Treasurer of the United Church of Christ; served on Richfield first zoning commission for 10 years; he was a Republican precinct committeeman; 12 year member of the Richfield School Board of Education and he was on the original committee to get the Bookmobile Service to Richfield. He was a great sports fan and considered as being “a mean left-handed pitcher” which was one of his special accomplishments. He enjoys the “doing”, whether it’s chauffeuring groceries to an ailing neighbor, taking a farm census or counting ballots on Election Day. (Obit & papers from Linda Fleming)