Randolph, William Abbott
Age 93, passed away on Veterans Day, November 11, 2016 at the Vi in Glenview with his children nearby. He was born August 8, 1923, in Chicago to Helen Abbott and Otto Coffeen Fitz Randolph. The oldest of five children, he grew up in Chicago and Des Moines, IA. He received his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering in 1948 from the University of Illinois following service in the Corps of Engineers on Leyte in the Philippines during World War II.
Mr. Randolph met his future wife, Ruth Stark, at a scout- sponsored softball game for veterans in 1946 a week after being discharged from the service. They married in Champaign on July 2, 1949. After living in Detroit for a short time, they moved to the Chicago area where they raised five children in Morton Grove and Wilmette.
Mr. Randolph founded the general contracting firm of William A. Randolph Co., Inc. in 1957, a company which constructed durable infrastructure throughout northern Illinois and which continues to prosper. He was active with American Legion Post 134 and with the Lions Club, both of Morton Grove. He held leadership positions with the Boy Scouts ( Troop 70 of Morton Grove and Troop 9 of Wilmette) and was the father of four Eagle Scouts. He participated in community education through both the Morton Grove School Board and the U. S. Power Squadron of Wilmette, being President of the Wilmette Harbor Association for a spell. He was an avid and generous fisherman, launching out of Wilmette Harbor. He often trekked several times down to the tip of Baja California, Mexico in quest of “the big one.”
He is survived by his children: Otto of Los Angeles, CA, Mark of Kansas City, MO, Alison of Portland, ME, Ian of Chicago, IL and Alan of Scott’s Valley, CA; by his six grandchildren: Scott of Golden, CO, Justin of Portland, ME, Mercedes of Chicago, IL, Naomi, Carolyn and Owen of Scott’s Valley, CA; and by his brother Burleigh of LaCrosse, WI; and his sister, Josephine of Fisher, IN.
A memorial service in Mr. Randolph’s honor will be held at 11: 00 a. m. Saturday, December 10 at the First Presbyterian Church of Wilmette, with a reception to follow overlooking Lake Michigan, his favorite fishing hole.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations may be made to in Mr. Randolph’s memory to the Northeast Illinois Council, Boy Scouts of America, in support of Camp Crown in Trevor, Wisconsin. One long- term project which Mr. Randolph spearheaded involved the shepherding of countless Scouts in the planting of trees to convert a donated gravel quarry into a forested campground. Checks in his honor may be made payable to the NEIC and mailed to: Mary Kelly, Northeast Illinois Council, BSA, 2745 Skokie Valley Road, Highland Park, IL 60035. Sign online guestbook at www.simkinsfh.com . ( 847) 965- 2500.