William Bill L. Garrity

William Bill L. Garrity, of Dunwoody, GA, died August 15, 2010 after a long illness surrounded by his wife, son and daughters. Mr. Garrity, son of the late Benjamin Lloyd and Maude Garrity, was born March 21, 1916 in Pittsburgh, PA. He graduated from Duquesne University with a BS in Pharmacy in 1941. At Duquesne he was a member of Rho Chi Honor Society and President of the Pharmacy School. During World War II he was a member of the United States Army Medical Corps. Following the war, Mr. Garrity was employed as a pharmacist at Eckerd Drugs in Erie, PA. and later at Krause’s Pharmacy in Atlantic City, NJ. In 1948 he began a 30-year career with Bristol-Myers Squibb as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative. Later he was promoted to District Sales Manager and then Regional Sales Manager for the Philadelphia and Atlanta Regions, respectively. While at Bristol Myers Squibb he won the prestigious “Knight of the Blue Vase” Award and was a two-time recipient of the “Gold Star Go Getter Award”.

Mr. Garrity pursued many interests throughout his life, but most of all, he was a man of faith, family and friendship. His 69 years of marriage to his college sweetheart, Anne, was a celebration of enduring love, honor and commitment. Throughout his life he adhered to a credo of extending a hand to help others as so often had been done for him. He believed in finding the good in others and constantly strove to enrich his understanding of people and the world.

He is survived by his wife, Anne R. Garrity, one son and three daughters: Michael W. Garrity of Minneapolis, MN; Patricia Garrity Tigue Curran of Prospect, KY; Jane Garrity Ruggiero of West Chester, PA; Susan Garrity of Raleigh, NC; and their spouses: Elizabeth Garrity, Gerald Curran, James Ruggiero, and Jeffery Basham. Nine grand children and 12 great-grand children also survive Mr. Garrity. He was pre-deceased by his daughter, Kathleen Ellen Garrity, and son-in law, Paul C. Tigue Jr.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at All Saint’s Catholic Church, 2443 Mount Vernon Rd., Dunwoody, GA. on Monday, August 23 at 11:00 am.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, PO Box 22718, Oklahoma City, OK, 73213; or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 3525 Piedmont Rd, Building 6, #200, Atlanta, GA, 30305. Condolences may be expressed at www.csog.com.