He came to Princeton from Chicago Latin School for Boys, majored in economics, and was a member of Cap and Gown Club. After college, he joined the Navy, went to Officer Candidate School, and spent three years on a gas tanker in the Mediterranean.
He began his business career with Manufacturers Hanover Bank in New York and earned a law degree from NYU Law School. He met Elinor Ketting in New York City. They got married and moved to Minnesota, where he worked for the First National Bank of Minneapolis until 1976, when he opened his own consulting business.
His love of fishing led him to Montana, where he created Eagle Rock Reserve, an open-space development in Bozeman. In retirement, Bill served a term as class president and was active in the St. Paul-Minneapolis Committee on Foreign Relations, Westminster Presbyterian Church, and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.
He died May 11, 2018, from complications of Parkinson’s disease and heart disease. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Elinor; their three children, Laura Stackhouse ’84, William, and David ’89; and four grandchildren.