William "Bill" Frederic Eberle

Salem- William Frederic Eberle died peacefully in his sleep on Friday, March 20, 2020, at the age of 93. William (Bill) was born July 10, 1926, in Lyndonville, NY, to Arthur Mills Eberle and Stella Doretta Rynders.  He was raised in Lyndonville, NY, near Lake Ontario.

Bill graduated high school from Lyndonville Central School in 1943 and at first had no plans for college.  Upon the encouragement of his high school English teacher who saw him idle that summer after graduation, Bill’s dad promptly marched into the Dean's office at Cornell University and proclaimed that his son would like to attend their college.  Politely redirected to the admissions office, Bill was accepted into the Cornell School of Agriculture and began his college experience. After just one year at Cornell, Bill was drafted into the U.S. Army and shipped off to join the war effort in Belgium as WWII was coming to a close.  Returning to school after the war, Bill graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Bacteriology in 1949, and started work at General Foods in New Jersey, living in Hoboken, NJ, where he roomed with his soon to be brother-in-law Roy Harrington.  

While in Hoboken, Bill met Barbara Lakin Wiese and the two were married on August 16, 1952, at Ft. Washington Collegiate Church, NY.  They began life together in Hackensack, NJ, and raised their family of four children in Palisades, NY. Bill was a dedicated and loving father, sharing with his children his love of the outdoors with annual summer camping trips to the Adirondacks and his thirst for adventure on a number of treks across the country in a motorhome. 
At night, Bill went to St. John's University School of Law and graduated with an LLD in 1957.  He was hired by Brumbaugh, Graves, Donohue and Raymond in Manhattan, where he worked for 34 years as a patent attorney defending intellectual property rights for large companies, including Lipton Tea and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not, as well as individuals like William A. Mitchell, the inventor of Pop Rocks.

Full of curiosity, energy and love for life, Bill was involved in many civic activities through the years.  He was President of Rockland County School Board, President of The New York Intellectual Property Law Association 1979-1980, a Trustee of the Historical Society of Rockland county, and could always be found manning the grill at the annual Plant Sale for the Palisades Library, where he was a board member for many years.

Retiring at 65, Bill and Barbara moved to their country home in Salem, NY, and enjoyed a relaxing life gardening, their individual hobbies and more community involvement.  Bill was very active in the Historic Salem Courthouse Preservation Association, Merck Forest and Farmland Center and the West Hebron United Presbyterian Church where he recently became a Deacon.  Not too long after his retirement, Bill also took up bagpiping and joined the Taconic Pipe Band as its “oldest new student” ever. Bill loved piping and most things Scottish, including an occasional “wee dram” of Scotch with friends or during trips to Scotland. 

William is survived by his four children: Elizabeth Meany (Brian), John Eberle, James Eberle, and Andrew Eberle (Sara); his four grandchildren Jason, Katherine (Katie), Evan, and Mikko; and his three great-grandchildren Layla, Stella and Cassidy.  He is also survived by his brother John Eberle (Betsey) and sister Sally Quintern. Bill is preceded in death by his parents, his wife, his sister and brother in-laws Catherine and Roy Harrington, his sister Catherine Spink and brother Richard Eberle. 

We all cherish all our memories of Bill and ask you to join us in hoisting a drink at cocktail hour to honor his life, a life well lived and a life thoroughly enjoyed, right to the end.

A memorial service has been postponed due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus and will be announced at a later date.

Memorial donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Salem Courthouse Preservation Association at https://salemcourthouse.org/donate/

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