Judge William W. Bivins died June 2, 2022 in Gilbert, Arizona, of complications from Covid-19. He was ninety-one.
William Wilder Bivins was born in Nashville, Tennessee, on January 15, 1931. He went to Davidson College and Vanderbilt Law School. He served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army, where he was a star player for the Army tennis team.
In 1958 Bivins moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico, to practice law. In 1982 he was elected to the New Mexico Court of Appeals in Santa Fe. He served part of his tenure as Chief Judge and was named Outstanding Judge of the Year in 1990.
After retirement, Judge Bivins returned to Nashville where he engaged in volunteer work: teaching remedial reading, English as a second language, and public speaking. In 2017 he moved to Gilbert, AZ, to be near his daughter and her family. He is author of the novella “I Am a Part of All that I Have Met.”
He was married twice: to Mary Stahmann, then to Linda Roether. Though he never remarried after his second marriage, he reconnected in Nashville with a childhood sweetheart, Mary Follin, with whom he enjoyed a loving relationship for many years. Mary Follin predeceased him.
Judge Bivins is survived by his children: William Bivins, Jr., Dean Bivins, Jonathan Bivins, and Alli Bongianni; and five grandchildren: Samuel Bivins, Zachary Bivins, Claire Bivins, Nicolas Bongianni, and Olivia Bongianni.