William Sword Jr. ’76

Our class tragically lost William Sword when a tree struck him Oct. 29, 2012, during Superstorm Sandy.

Bill will be sorely missed by his soulmate and wife of 33 years, Martha Sullivan Sword, and his beloved children, Gretchen, Hope, and Will. Bill had countless friends; more than 1,000 attended his memorial service in Princeton.

Bill was a lifelong Princetonian. Born to Sally ’81 (who earned a bachelor’s degree from the University later in life) and William Sword ’46, he was raised and educated in Princeton, married Martha, and raised his family in town. He successfully devoted his career to the Princeton-based investment firm, Wm Sword & Co.

His Princeton roommates included Dukas, Indig, Irwin, Larsen, Reed, and Vuyosevich. A politics major, he wrote his thesis on Woodrow Wilson, with Arthur Link as his adviser.

Bill was a giver in life and generous with his time, talents, and treasure. He was very active in his community with Centurion Ministries, Habitat for Humanity, Little League baseball, Nassau Presbyterian Church, and Ivy Club.

He loved fishing, reading, baseball, gardening, music, conversations, Princeton basketball, and hearing or telling a joke. He loved playing golf with friends, and especially with Martha.

Our prayers go out to his family, but we will continue “pressing on” just as Bill would have wanted.