Ferris, William MECHANICVILLE

— William “Bill” David Ferris, 69, passed away on January 11, 2024, in his beloved home, in Mechanicville, N.Y. Bill was born in Albany, N.Y., on December 29, 1954, son to his late parents, George and Betty (Stanley) Ferris. Growing up, Bill was involved with Boy Scouts of America and took great pride in accomplishing the rank of Eagle Scout. He participated in scouting activities in New Mexico and Vermont. Bill also had fond memories of his bicycling trip to Maine with his brother and close friends, in 1972. Bill graduated from Colonie Central High School, in 1972 and went on to study Anthropology at Adelphi University on Long Island, graduating with his bachelor’s degree, in 1976. For a short time, Bill worked in insurance at Massachusetts Mutual. After being given the opportunity to learn computer programming, Bill began his 27-year-long career as a programmer, retiring from BCBS of NENY, in 2019. Bill found great fulfillment from his part time work at various restaurants, especially 2Shea catering, in Albany.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Richard Ferris. He is survived by his son, Lucien Bourgault (wife Rhyannon Bourgault); sister-in-law, Sharon (Hartley) Ferris; nephew, Richard Ferris; niece, Meredith Ferris, and many close friends.

Bill had a special place in his heart for Ogunquit, Maine, and traveled there several times a year. As a lifelong learner, he had a major interest in U.S. history and never lost his excitement to learn through reading or visiting battlefields and monuments. Bill’s hobbies included doing puzzles, coin collecting, and rooting for favorite baseball team, the L.A. Dodgers. His favorite thing to do in recent years was spending time going to see his son’s band, and was very proud of his son’s accomplishments as a guitarist. More recently Bill began attending Nassau Reformed Church and found comfort in his spirituality and the community around him.

A graveside service will be held in Spring of 2024, at the Albany Rural Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Cancer Society in Bill’s name.