Bill (William Joseph) Sconce, age 72, Lyndeborough, NH, died on January 5, 2016 at Lahey Hospital in Burlington, MA. The cause was a cerebral hemorrhage. He was a good man.
Bill was born April 19, 1943 in Indianapolis, IN, and came home to the House on the Hill in Edinburgh, IN. Bill grew up there with his brother David, who predeceased him. His parents were Eva Mae and Joseph Byce Sconce. Bill soon became a proficient Spelunker and surveyor in the caves of Indiana and Kentucky, and a motorcycle enthusiast. Graduating from Culver Military Academy, where he earned his Amateur Radio License, he received a Fulbright scholarship and rode his Norton motorcycle to CalTech in San Francisco, CA where he studied Physics and worked in a crystalography laboratory. He was drafted during the Vietnam war protests at that school and served in Taigu Korea, where he studied IBM Cobol and the Korean language, and rode a Honda 90 motorcycle in the mountains. He returned to Louisville, KY and began a long career in computer science and founded his company Industrial Specialities. He met the love of his life in Louisville, Janet Levy, and with her encouragement he completed his dream of becoming a pilot, holding a Commercial, Instrument, and Instructor license. He continued studies at University of Louisville in linguistics and computer science. Bill & Janet moved to NH in 1979 for Bill to graduate from being Symposium Coordinator for DECUS to assume the position of Product Manager for the RSTS Group at Digital Equipment Corporation. Bill worked for and was layed off from DEC, Compaq, and Hewlett Packard, at which point he revived his corporation, named it In Spec, Inc. and divided his time between software engineering and flight instruction. Bill was a devoted supporter of GPL and "free" Linux software and the Python programming language. Bill was a member of the Vintage BMW Motorcycle Owners, Ltd., the BMW MOVer Motorcycle Club of Vermont, the Contoocook Valley Radio Club, a life member of the National Speological Society and the American Radio Relay League. He supported the EAA and was a Regional Judge for aerobatic competitions for IAC for many years. He loved aviation, including hot air ballooning and skydiving. He participated in Young Eagles at Boire Airport in Nashua, NH and enjoyed teaching young people to fly. He taught spins in his Cessna Aerobat. And he was a Quiet Birdman. He was a member of the Rex Stout Wolfepack Book Club and The Wodehouse Society. Bill loved theatre, classical and rock music, and especially lately, attending Dr. David Landman's Poetry Nights of medieval poetry in Lexington, MA. He loved fixing things and if there were no parts available for a project he promptly made them himself on his metal lathe, or just used his ingenuity to create something needed. He loved cigars, scotch, butter, reading, airplanes, old test equipment, Paris, BMWs, his red convertible Cabriolet with red earmuffs, and his big black 4 cylinder 4WD truck, bird watching (outwitting squirrels), camping, hiking on Pitcher Mountain, William Blake, and he suffered not fools. One of his favorite lead-ins: "As an engineer..." Bill is survived by his wife, Janet Levy Sconce, his sister-in-law, June Levy and her family, and many dear friends. Bill was a kind and loving "daddy" to Virgil Fox and RDB, the cats of his home. Thanks to "The Committee" and especially Donna Shea, Chris Levin, Ken Hamel, Donna Giovannini, Tom Steger, Michelle Donovan, Simon Hutchings, John & Cathy Gubernat and the surgeons, doctors, and nurses at Lahey Hospital. The family is grateful to all of his many friends who offered support and love. There will be a memorial for Bill on February 13, 11:00-2:00 at Nashua Jet Aviation located on Boire Field in Nashua, NH. Call Air Direct Airways, (603) 882-5606 for more information. _______________________________________________ gnhlug-discuss mailing list gnhlug-discuss@mail.gnhlug.org http://mail.gnhlug.org/mailman/listinfo/gnhlug-discuss/
