William “Bill” Henry Witherow, Jr., age 81, of Murfreesboro, TN went to be with his Lord and
Savior on November 24, 2023. He was a native of Lansford, PA and the son of the late William
H. Witherow, Sr. and Margaret Mary McLaughlin Witherow. In addition to his parents, he was
also preceded in death by his grandson, Zachary Witherow Underwood; sister, Margaret Mary
Witherow Zaldaris; and brother, Robert B. Witherow.
Bill is survived by his wife of 59 years, Judith Walker Witherow and daughters, Lisa Witherow
Underwood (Terry) and Lori Witherow Williams along with grandchildren, Madison Underwood,
Dylan Williams, and Hayden Williams. He is also survived by numerous cousins, nieces and
nephews.
Bill was born in Coaldale, PA on December 14, 1941. He was a 1959 graduate of Lansford High
School where he lettered in football, basketball, and baseball. His talent in football and
academic prowess earned him a scholarship to Columbia University where he played guard for
the Columbia Lions and was a part of the 1961 Ivy League Championship team. He studied civil
engineering at Columbia. After college, he joined the United States Air Force where he began
to work on airplane radar systems and became proficient with technology during the advent of
the computer age. After the Air Force, Bill joined the Western Electric Company in Allentown,
PA where he worked as a computer engineer. In 1976, Bill moved his family to Nashville, TN to
work as a computer engineer at Service Merchandise Company. He retired from Service
Merchandise in 2000 as the assistant vice president of their micro information systems
department.
Bill and Judy moved to Murfreesboro in 2000 to be nearer to their grandchildren, Zach and
Madison. Bill enjoyed a post-retirement gig as a beloved science lab volunteer and substitute
teacher at Erma Siegel Elementary. As his grandchildren grew older, he also became a
substitute teacher at Siegel Middle School.
Bill was known as the “Clark Griswold” of the family and relished travel with his wife, children,
and grandchildren. Some of his favorite spots were the Hawaiian Islands and Disney World. He
and Judy enjoyed traveling the world during their retirement. Bill was an avid Penn State
Football fan and also loved watching his grandchildren in every sport and extracurricular
activity in which they engaged. He was always quick with a joke and never knew a stranger. All
felt loved and welcomed by Bill and his kindness.
Bill was devout in his Catholic faith and attended St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in
Murfreesboro.
Visitation with the family will be Thursday, November 30, 2023 from 12:00-2:00 PM at Woodfin
Memorial Chapel. Funeral service will begin at 2:00 PM with burial following at Roselawn
Memorial Gardens.
Memorial donations may be made to the Gary Sinise Foundation,
www.garysinisefoundation.org or St. Jude Children’s Hospital.