On September 7, 2022, William F. (Bill) Washburn passed away at Notre Dame Long Term Care Facility in Worcester, Mass. at the age of 79 after a multi-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease. He has been a resident of New York’s Hudson Valley since 1965 and lived in Hyde Park, NY for the past 52 years.
Bill embodied an unwavering commitment to family. He could reliably be found at family events with a camera around his neck and a joke quick at hand. He was predeceased by his parents, Charles E. Washburn and Catherine Wilson Washburn and his brother-in-law, Dr. Joseph B. Ryan. He is survived by his siblings, Catherine Washburn Ryan and Charles J. Washburn (Frances M. Anthes) and his cherished nephews and niece: Matthew Anthes-Washburn (Mary Kima Dolson), Maryrose Anthes-Washburn, Timothy J. Ryan (Kathryn Byars) and Edward Anthes-Washburn (Pamela Cabrera Washburn), as well as eight grandnieces and nephews. He also will be missed by his friend and travel companion, William J. Spencer.
Bill was born in Medford MA and raised in Winchester MA and Cranford NJ. He attended Newark College of Engineering, now called New Jersey Institute of Technology, from 1961 to 1965. He spent one college summer as an apprentice at a power engineering company in Oslo, Norway, where he developed future work-related knowledge as well as some skiing skills.
Bill was a member of the ROTC in college and later spent several years as an Army Reservist during the Vietnam War era. He earned his Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering through an IBM-affiliated program at Syracuse University. In 2018, he received an Honorary Degree from NJIT.
Following graduation from NJIT, Bill moved to the Poughkeepsie area and joined IBM. He worked on mainframe testing, display technology, and, ultimately, large-scale chip manufacturing technology. His projects at IBM brought him to work at the Poughkeepsie plant, the Kingston, NY location, and finally at the Fishkill chip manufacturing location. Some of his chip technology work was used in IBM and Apple personal computers. During his tenure at IBM, Bill spent one year in France at one of IBM’s semiconductor facilities near Paris. He made personal contacts and friendships there which lasted long after his retirement.
Bill was active in a wide variety of athletic pursuits which included sailing, cycling, scuba-diving, wind surfing, skiing, and kayaking, which he loved to share with family and friends. He joined the Hudson Valley Ski Club and the Kingston Ski Club and participated in many ski trips to ski areas in both East and West areas of the U.S., as well as several ski vacations in Europe, including France, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Bill Washburn retired from IBM in 2005, after 40 years of satisfying work there. That same year, he began a series of travels which included his family and friends. His trips took him far and wide, from Canada’s British Columbia province and the Canadian Maritimes, to Hawaii, Antarctica (twice), much of South America, Morocco, the United Kingdom and Eastern and Western Europe. In all, he’s visited 59+ countries on 6 continents. Bill became an avid videographer and enjoyed documenting his many travels.
He also developed an interest in boating and especially sailing. Together with his friend Bill Spencer, he purchased the first of three sailboats which led to his joining the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club (PYC). Together, they sailed extensively in the Northeast U.S. and Canada, as well as several longer cruises to the Canadian Maritimes and two Bermuda crossings on a friend’s 40-foot Cat-Ketch sailboat named Long Reach. During Bill’s years as a member of PYC, he has served in various positions and on committees, including two years as Commodore.
Later in life, Bill Washburn became interested in rowing shells and joined the Mid-Hudson Rowing Association, where he learned both sweep and scull rowing. He eventually became an instructor using the skills he had learned. He was one of the three key producers of the MHRA "History of Rowing on the Hudson" video documentary, which is sold at Mystic Seaport and was shown at the Henley Royal Regatta Head-quarters, Henley-on-Thames, England, as well as at local Hudson Valley venues. He served both as Treasurer and President of the club and was fortunate to be selected twice to compete in the International Head of the Charles race in Boston, MA.
A Mass in celebration of Bill Washburn’s life will be held at 11:00 am on October 1, 2022, at St. Peter’s Church, 931 Main St., Worcester. Interment will take place at a later time in the family plot at the Island Pond Cemetery in Harwich, Massachusetts. A memorial celebration of his life will be held at the Poughkeepsie Yacht Club on Oct 8th at 2:00 pm. The Athy Memorial Home, 111 Lancaster St., in Worcester is handling arrangements.
Published in Worcester Telegram & Gazette