William R. Mapother

MAPOTHER, WILLIAM R., a third-generation Louisville attorney of the firm Mapother & Mapother and a nationally-renowned speaker, passed away Thursday, June 11, 1006, at Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, IN. He was en route to his home in Kentucky after an Alaskan cruise with his fiancée, family, friends, and business associates. He was 68. The cause was complications due to pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer. Mr. Mapother was a bankruptcy consultant, who for over 30 years, and in all 50 states, taught seminars for banks, credit unions, and lenders. He was a recipient of the prestigious Certified Speaking Professional designation of the National Speakers Association, and he was well known for his clear, enthusiastic, and entertaining style of public speaking. He is the author of 13 books on bankruptcy and, since 1985, was a regular columnist for Credit Union Magazine. Mr. Mapother was the Kentucky Credit Union League attorney for over three decades and the West Virginia Credit Union League attorney for over one decade. He was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court and was also a member of the Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia Bar Associations. At age 28, Mr. Mapother became the youngest person to serve as a Jefferson County Juvenile Court Judge, a position he held from 1967-70. He was a member of the Edward Frederick Sorin Society of the University of Notre Dame, and he served 21 years of volunteer service to ACCEPT Consumer Credit Counseling Program. In the early 1970's, he was President of the Louisville Chapter of Planned Parenthood. He was a member of the Pendennis Club. Mr. Mapother is a graduate of St. Xavier High School, the University of Notre Dame with honors, and the University of Virginia Law School. He was preceded in death by his father, Thomas Cruise Mapother Jr.; his mother, Catherine Reibert Mapother; and his brother, Thomas Cruise Mapother III. He is survived by one son, William Reibert Mapother Jr.; two daughters, Katherine Grigsby Mapother and Amy Cruise Mapother; and his fiancée, Valerie Brown. The funeral will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 26, 2006, at St. Leonard Catholic Church, 440 Zorn Avenue. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be from noon -5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. on Sunday at Ratterman Funeral Home, 3711 Lexington Road. The family requests that memorial gifts be made to any of the following: Mapother Memorial for Scholarship Aid at St. Xavier High School (www.saintx.com), Blue Apple Players (www.blueappleplayers.org), or The Community Foundation of Louisville designated for the Sudanese Refugee Education Fund (www.sudaneseinkentucky.org).