William F. Aberly

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - William Franklin Aberly, 90, died on Tuesday, April 22, 2008, following a brief illness.

He was born in New Bern, North Carolina, on February 10, 1918. He attended local schools and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa and Beta Gamma Sigma fraternities.

Following graduation, he joined the accounting firm of S.D. Leidesdorf and Company in New York City and earned the CPA designation. During World War II, he worked in New York on the Norden bomb site. After the war, he returned to the Leidesdorf Company and later moved to Jacksonville, Fla., where he became Financial Vice President of the Gibbs Corporation. After leaving Gibbs, he worked with Consolidated Construction Corporation on the construction of NORAD headquarters inside Cheyenne Mountain in Colorado and on a nuclear power plant in the state of Washington. In 1965, Mr. Aberly joined Stockton, Whatley, Davin and Company in Jacksonville as Financial Vice President and retired as Chairman and CEO in 1984.

For many years, he taught Sunday school at South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church where he was an Elder and Trustee. He served as a Commissioner to the General Assembly meeting of the Presbyterian Church. He was a past president of the Rotary Club of South Jacksonville and was a Paul Harris Fellow. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Atlantic National Bank and was a past president of the River Club.

He was predeceased by his wife, Patricia C. Houghtaling Aberly, and by his wife, Evelyn S. Aberly.

He is survived by two sons, William J. (Nancye) Aberly and Robert M. Aberly, both of Jacksonville; a sister, Elizabeth Aberly of New Bern, North Carolina; two grandsons, William C. Aberly of Jacksonville and Robert W. M. (Jodie) Aberly of Glen St. Mary, Fla.; a granddaughter, Tracey Donaldson of Jacksonville; and four nieces, Lane Mitterling, Susan T. Crane, Eve Lynn Shackelford, and Bonnie Burkett.

Funeral services were held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, April 29 in South Jacksonville Presbyterian Church with Dr. Vincent K. Kolb officiating. Burial was in Oaklawn Cemetery, Jacksonville, Florida.