William
David Emberley, 82, of Essex, Vt., died on August 22, 2024, at the
Maine Medical Center in Portland, Maine, due to complications from
pancreatic cancer, detected mere weeks before his death.
William
“Bill” was born July 6, 1942, and grew up in Morristown, N.J. He
earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering at the University
of Vermont, where he forged lifetime friendships with brothers of the
Alpha Tau Omega fraternity.
Bill
started working for Webster Martin Engineering and stayed within the
greater Burlington, Vt., area, where he and his wife raised their
three children, David, Chris and Deanna. In his twenties, Bill began
collecting antique bottles from old dumps, flea markets and garage
sales throughout Vermont, which grew into a lifelong hobby. He became
well-known in New England for his bottle, stamp and coin collecting,
and marketing skills, as well as his engineering skills. In his late
thirties, with Donald Phillips, Bill started the civil engineering
firm Phillips and Emberley, which focused on state-of-the-art
wastewater treatment projects throughout New England. He also worked
for Dubois and King.
Bill
resided within a 50-mile radius of Burlington until 2008, when he
moved to Leesburg, Fla., with his partner of 26 years, Karen Snyder.
They summered in Alburg, Vt., then returned to Essex Junction in
2022. Bill fell in love with tennis and continued to play with
passion, almost daily, until late in his retirement.
Bill
spent his lifetime pouring love into his family and friends, with
fun-loving humor and encouragement to do their best. He loved fishing
with family and friends, as well as playing, watching, and supporting
athletic, academic, and gaming endeavors. When not studying bottle
guides, shopping garage sales, watching sports, playing tennis or
traveling with Karen, Bill loved watching deer graze in his
backyards.
Bill
was friendly toward everyone and will be sorely missed by all who
knew and loved him. He is survived by his partner, Karen Snyder;
children, David Emberley, Chris Emberley and Deanna Emberley Bailey,
and their spouses, Susan Emberley, Karen Emberley and Chris Bailey,
respectively; Karen’s family, Nicole Adams, Chris Adams, Katie
Adams and Richard McCaffrey; his loving grandchildren, Anthony
Emberley, Katie Emberley, Elliot Emberley and his wife, Jennifer
Emberley, and Thomas Wilson; his great-grandchild, Hudson Emberley;
his sister Carol Lindskog; nieces, Suzanne Bacon and Cindy St.
Martin; and nephews, Brian Lindskog and Thomas Bacon. Bill was
predeceased by his parents, Charles and Charlotte Emberley, Aunt
Weesie and Uncle Eddie Theiler, sister Patricia Bacon, and
grandchildren Amanda Emberley, Solon Bailey and Liam Bailey. A
memorial service will be held at a later date.
This article appears in Aug 28 – Sep 3, 2024.