Deceased November 25, 2017
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In Memory
Bill passed away on Nov. 25 in Summit, N.J., his family at his bedside. Born on June 15, 1940, in Irvington, N.J., he received his M.D. from Case-Western Reserve Medical School in 1968.
It was at Amherst that Bill met Virginia “Ginger” Bunzl, who would go on to be his life partner. Upon finishing his residency, Bill began work as deputy commissioner for the City of New York’s Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. In 1977, he moved with his family to Summit. After four years at Fair Oaks, Bill became chief of psychiatry at Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield, N.J., where he worked until his retirement in 2006. He continued a private practice until shortly before his death.
Bill worked tirelessly to raise awareness about mental illness. He was a member of the American Medical Association and the New Jersey Psychiatric Association and was a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He served on the Union County Mental Health Board and frequently lobbied both the United States and New Jersey legislatures to increase funding for mental health programming and care. More broadly, Bill witnessed growing health disparities as the medical field shifted from patient-focused care to a more business-oriented model. He noted in public hearings that this shift would have negative impacts on healthcare for all, but particularly for poor communities.
There is little that Bill loved more than spending time with his family; his grandchildren have given him great joy. Bill is survived by his wife of 53 years, Virginia; a sister, Nancy Greenberg of Riverside, Calif.; a daughter, Helen; a son, Joshua; their spouses, Joel Zarrow and Evanthia Canoutas; and four grandchildren, Isabel Cayla and Felix Livingston Zarrow, and Sofia Ariadne and Rafael Nikolaos Canoutas-Nadel.
Vince Simmon ’64