William Whipple of Westport, Mass., died Nov. 1, 2011, at age 79 at Home and Hospice Care of Rhode Island. He was the husband of Helen M. (Phillips) Whipple, and they were married for over 50 years.
Born in Danvers, Mass., son of the late Guy M. and Helen (Davis) Whipple, he had lived in Westport for most of his life. While at Princeton he also served as pastor of a Methodist Church for two years. William continued graduate study at Boston University, where he served as teaching assistant for the renowned Dr. Howard Thurman, and met his future wife. An avid sailor, he started a charter-yacht service in the Caribbean. His maritime career continued with the formation of Prelude Corp. in Westport and High Seas Corp. in Fall River, Mass., which pioneered the offshore commercial trap-fishing industry.
A tireless optimist, William dedicated his golden years to developing a new fishery in South Florida for Golden Gulf crab. Along with his wife, his survivors include two sons, Bradford C. and Eric B., and several nieces and nephews.