William A. Whiteside, Jr., 93, of Ocean City, NJ, died peacefully at home on December 4, 2022.
Born and raised in the Germantown section of Philadelphia, Bill was the son of William and Ellen Hensler Whiteside. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Eileen, with whom he celebrated 54 years of marriage. Bill is survived by five children: Bill Whiteside (Barbara), Mike Whiteside (Sue), Muffin Oppenheimer (Paul), Gump Whiteside (Betsy), and Mary Carroll (Parker), and by eleven grandchildren: Billy Whiteside, Brittany Whiteside, Jack Oppenheimer, Stephen Oppenheimer, Billy Oppenheimer, Patrick Whiteside, Caroline Whiteside, Parker Carroll, Madison Carroll, Connor Carroll, and Andrew Whiteside; by two great-grandchildren: Liam Aloia and Jackson Oppenheimer – and by his sister Mimi Pruett. In addition to his wife Eileen, Bill was preceded in death by their son son Rick, and by his two sisters – Ann and Sperky.
In 1956, Bill joined the law firm of Speiser, Satinsky, Gilliland and Packel, where he began his career as a labor lawyer. That firm merged into Fox Rothschild LLP (formerly Fox, Rothschild, O’Brien & Frankel) in 1960. He was a partner in the firm for 40 years, and was the head of the firm’s Labor and Employment Law Department. Bill retired from the practice of law on March 31, 2001.
Bill represented the Community College of Philadelphia in a variety of matters almost from its inception in 1965 until his retirement in 2001. Bill served as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York. Along with his wife Eileen, he received the Nathaniel Rochester Society’s Award in 2003, an award given annually for outstanding service to RIT. (They were the first people from outside the Rochester, N.Y. area to receive this award). Bill was also a Trustee of the American College of Management and Technology of Dubrovnik and Zagreb, Croatia (originally a joint venture between RIT and the Croatian Government), which he was instrumental in forming in 1997.
Bill was Chairman (and Man of the Year) of the Police Athletic League of Philadelphia. His work with PAL was especially dear to his heart
Bill served as President of the Philadelphia Alumni Club of the University of Notre Dame; on the Board of Directors of Wissahickon Skating Club (where he was a charter member its Hall of Fame); and on the Board of Trustees of Germantown Academy, serving as its President for five years. In addition, He was a Trustee of LaSalle College High School.
Bill played both quarterback and safety at La Salle High School, where earned All Catholic honors. Bill joined the crew team and rowed from the “seven seat” of La Salle’s National Champion Junior Eight boat. On graduation day, Bill was named La Salle’s top student-athlete.
Bill graduated magna cum laude from the University of Notre Dame, where he was a backup quarterback on Notre Dame’s 1949 undefeated National Championship team. Later he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and while there he coached Penn’s 150-pound football team. He helped launch the ice hockey program at La Salle College High School, and was the team’s first coach. He served as a JAG officer (1st Lieutenant)) in the United States Air Force prior to entering the private practice of law in 1956. He was listed in Best Lawyers in America from its 1st edition through each subsequent edition until his retirement in 2001.
Bill truly embraced everything that life had to offer. In his teen years, he snuck out of the house for excursions to jazz clubs in New York City. He loved jazz and was an excellent drummer. When Benny Goodman’s Orchestra played at Notre Dame, Mr. Goodman, an avid football fan, invited Bill to sit on the drums for his band’s second set. In addition to station wagon trips to New England and Canada with their six kids in the back, Bill and Eileen traveled the world together. They especially enjoyed Broadway musicals. Bill took his family on three rafting trips down the Grand Canyon. He completed a 75-mile bicycle ride at the age of 75. Bill loved his family dearly, and cherished his roles as a husband, father, and grandfather.
Bill and Eileen met on the Ocean City, NJ boardwalk. A short time after Eileen’s death, Bill settled into their place on the beach for the rest of his days. From their stools just yards from the beach at Oves Restaurant on the boardwalk, Bill and his decades-long sunrise coffee klatch were responsible for solving most of the world’s problems
Family and friends can call on Friday, December 9, 2022 from 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM at St. Genevieve Church, 1225 Bethlehem Pike, Flourtown, PA 19031, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 AM. Following Mass, internment will be at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery.
