Burlington man had a deep compassion for people, a love of wordplay, and a humility and spiritual bent that opened his heart and mind
With deep sorrow, we announce the sudden passing of William L. "Bill" Fellinger, 81, of Burlington, Vt., on the evening of Thursday, July 18, 2024. A resident of Williston, Vt., from 1977 through 2015, Bill was a native of Saint Louis and Kirkwood, Mo. Bill received his bachelor of arts from the University of Illinois in 1963. He served in the U.S. Air Force, stationed primarily at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, from 1966 through 1970, and completed a PhD in computer science at Oregon State University Corvallis in 1973. Bill and his family came to Vermont in 1975, where he held an assistant professorship in the electrical engineering department at the University of Vermont for two years, then joined IBM in Essex Junction, where he worked from 1977 through 1998. He subsequently worked at IDX, then participated in the founding of CCS Technologies. Much of Bill’s time was devoted to parenthood, then grandparenthood. When his two sons were young, he could be found outdoors with them most evenings and weekends, guiding them on one adventure or another on hikes, bikes, skis, and wind- and paddle-powered craft of all sorts. At the infamous “Williston Sunday Soccer” matches and Thanksgiving Turkey Bowls, his goalkeeping prowess — along with his tattered orange down parka — earned him the title “Stonewall.” During their sons’ high school and college years, Bill and his wife, Donna, attended nearly every concert or sports event, traveling to cities around the U.S. and even Europe. From 2005 onward, Bill and Donna made frequent trips to visit grandchildren, and this June he shared in the joy of his first grandchild’s graduation from high school and acceptance to college. Throughout his life, Bill was involved in many community activities. He volunteered with Willison Little League, Troop 92 of the Boy Scouts of America and the Williston Federated Church. For a few years, Bill also wrote a column in the Williston Whistle called Liberally Speaking. During his last 10 years in Burlington, he took long bicycle rides and kayaked often. In 2010, when Bill’s independent efforts to drink less beer had the opposite effect, Bill joined Alcoholics Anonymous and was a devoted and active member of the AA program for the remainder of his life. Bill was trained as a scientist and tried to explain the world he saw in a scientific way, with theories, questions and evidence. He…
Burlington man had a deep compassion for people, a love of wordplay, and a humility and spiritual bent that opened his heart and mind
With deep sorrow, we announce the sudden passing of William L. "Bill" Fellinger, 81, of Burlington, Vt., on the evening of Thursday, July 18, 2024. A resident of Williston, Vt., from 1977 through 2015, Bill was a native of Saint Louis and Kirkwood, Mo. Bill received his bachelor of arts from the University of Illinois in 1963. He served in the U.S. Air Force, stationed primarily at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, from 1966 through 1970, and completed a PhD in computer science at Oregon State University Corvallis in 1973. Bill and his family came to Vermont in 1975, where he held an assistant professorship in the electrical engineering department at the University of Vermont for two years, then joined IBM in Essex Junction, where he worked from 1977 through 1998. He subsequently worked at IDX, then participated in the founding of CCS Technologies. Much of Bill’s time was devoted to parenthood, then grandparenthood. When his two sons were young, he could be found outdoors with them most evenings and weekends, guiding them on one adventure or another on hikes, bikes, skis, and wind- and paddle-powered craft of all sorts. At the infamous “Williston Sunday Soccer” matches and Thanksgiving Turkey Bowls, his goalkeeping prowess — along with his tattered orange down parka — earned him the title “Stonewall.” During their sons’ high school and college years, Bill and his wife, Donna, attended nearly every concert or sports event, traveling to cities around the U.S. and even Europe. From 2005 onward, Bill and Donna made frequent trips to visit grandchildren, and this June he shared in the joy of his first grandchild’s graduation from high school and acceptance to college. Throughout his life, Bill was involved in many community activities. He volunteered with Willison Little League, Troop 92 of the Boy Scouts of America and the Williston Federated Church. For a few years, Bill also wrote a column in the Williston Whistle called Liberally Speaking. During his last 10 years in Burlington, he took long bicycle rides and kayaked often. In 2010, when Bill’s independent efforts to drink less beer had the opposite effect, Bill joined Alcoholics Anonymous and was a devoted and active member of the AA program for the remainder of his life. Bill was trained as a scientist and tried to explain the world he saw in a scientific way, with theories, questions and evidence. He…