WEATHERFORD III, William D. “Bill”
William D. “Bill” Weatherford III, 73, of Austin, Texas passed away at home in his sleep April 2, 2020 following a long illness. Bill was born October 12, 1946 in Port Arthur, Texas. He and his sister Gerry grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania while their father attended graduate school. Carnegie Mellon always held a special place in Bill’s heart, instilling in him a love of learning and exploring that he used the rest of his life. The family returned to Texas, settling in San Antonio. Bill graduated from Robert E Lee High School and attended the University of Texas in Austin where he studied Architecture and Theater before receiving his Bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston in Political Science. He met his wife of 42 years, Ramsay while working for Richard Roeder Associates as a retail designer. They were married in Houston in 1978. He worked for renowned River Oaks and Memorial architect Lucian T. Hood before starting his own company The Kane Street Studio doing residential design. Bill was a part of the creation of the Old Sixth Ward Historic Association and active in the 1980’s Houston Contemporary Dance scene. He loved classical music, opera and reading and left an extensive collection of books on design, architecture, dance, gardening, philosophy and literature. Bill loved traveling, exploring, learning and observing the world around him; he always had his roadside geology, wildflower and bird reference books with him. He and Ramsay lived in Dallas, San Francisco and Cincinnati before returning to Texas to live in Austin. He was preceded in death by his parents, W. D. Weatherford Jr and Barbara Wallace; father-in-law Richard C Roeder and brother-in-law Robert Baines Jr. He is survived by his wife Ramsay R Weatherford; sister, Gerry Weatherford Baines; sisters-in-law Lee Roeder; Parke Wellman (partner Tim); Margaret (Bill) Ferranti and nieces and nephews Elise Baines O’Connell and her children Mercer O’Connell, Reid O’Connell, Grayson O’Connell; Robert Baines and his son Aidan Baines; Pratt Wellman; Andrew Wellman and Emily Ferranti Bruton. The remembrance of his life will be held at a date to be announced later. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be sent to The American Lung Association for support and research into Pulmonary Fibrosis.
In Memoriam