William Anthony Bledsoe, age 90, died February 25, 2022 at home surrounded by his family. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Susan McCallum Bledsoe, his daughter Braden and husband Mark Weiner, his son Thomas and wife Cresta and their children Isles and Clary.
Bill was born October 23, 1931, in Greensboro, NC to William J. Bledsoe and Polly Gordon Bledsoe. Following his father’s early death, he was raised by his mother and stepfather, Dr. William T. Clary and his beloved uncle, Thomas Braden Bledsoe. Bill graduated from The McCallie School in Chattanooga, TN and then Davidson College, NC in 1953. At Davidson Bill was in ROTC and a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Following college he served two years in the Navy, seeing duty in The Korean War and then traveling around the world on the USS Caperton. Bill cherished this experience and held a lifelong affinity for ships.
After the service Bill worked with his Uncle Braden at the Brown Bledsoe Lumber Co. traveling the South buying hardwood for NC furniture companies. He went on to earn a Master’s degree in Business Administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and began his financial career as a bond salesman at The First Boston Corporation in New York. While there he met his wife, Susan. They lived in Greenwich, CT and later moved to Atlanta, GA during his 20- year career with First Boston. Bill ultimately opened his own brokerage firm, a branch of Raymond James Financial, where he worked until he retired in his seventies.
Bill was a lover of tennis and golf and a member of the Capital City Club in Atlanta and the Ponte Vedra Inn & Club, FL where he had longstanding golf and tennis groups. He was a member of Cathedral of Saint Philip in Atlanta where he ushered for many years. Bill was a voracious reader and loved sharing books with his children and friends. Bill enjoyed people and loved learning all about them. He had a gift for drawing people out and making them feel comfortable and special. He will be missed.
There will be a family memorial at a later date.
Contributions in his memory may be made to: The Cathedral of Saint Philip, 2744 Peachtree Road NW, Atlanta, GA 30305.