Bill was born in Englewood, N.J., and grew up in Upper Nyack, N.Y. After Navy service, he graduated in 1948 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and married Winona. Other Princetonian Zabriskies include his father, William ’21; his son, Dane ’72; and a cousin.
Bill’s professional career was at the American Brake Shoe and Phelps Dodge companies, and as a licensed engineer in New York and Rhode Island. He was involved in curling, Boy Scouting, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, and Habitat for Humanity.
The family lived in New City, N.Y., for 37 years. Then, upon Bill’s retirement in 1984, Bill and Winona moved to Old Saybrook, Conn., near their summer home on Block Island, R.I. Next they moved to Marco Island, Fla., and finally settled in a retirement community in North Naples, Fla., where Bill died July 17, 2015, at age 90. In addition to Winona, Bill is survived by his daughter, Fern; Dane; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.