William Furey II

William Morris Furey II

1926-2009 LENOX William M. Furey II, a resident of Kimball Farms in Lenox and a former Berkshire Life Insurance Co. executive, died peacefully in Lenox, on Nov. 27, 2009. He was 83 years old.

Bill was born in Pittsburgh, Pa. on Aug. 27, 1926. He was the son of Martha R. and W. Rankin Furey, was raised in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh, and graduated from Shady Side Academy in 1944.

His family moved to Pittsfield, in 1944 and Bill attended Yale University where he graduated in 1948 after briefly serving in the Army Air Corps in 1945.

After Yale, he joined Berkshire Life in its Pittsburgh office and married Elizabeth Reed on Jun. 21, 1952.

He became General Agent of the Pittsburgh office and then in 1960 moved to the Berkshire's Pittsfield headquarters. Bill rose to serve as Vice President of Field Planning & Manpower Development where he oversaw all of Berkshire's national field agent offices. His retirement in 1991 marked the end of 115 years and five generations of his family working at Berkshire Life.

Bill had a long career as a leader in many Berkshire County volunteer organizations. He twice served as Chairman of the Berkshire American Red Cross and was active in the Berkshire United Way where he co-chaired the 1996 annual campaign. Bill's favorite charitable activity was serving on the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Pittsfield where he led the 2002 Capital Campaign that raised over $2 million for the club. He was a past President of the Country Club of Pittsfield, was on the board of the Berkshire Life Charitable Foundation, and served on the finance committee of the First Church of Christ, Congregational.

Bill was known by all as a passionate and competitive athlete in paddle tennis and golf where he had a single digit handicap and seven career hole-in-one's. He was also a talented watercolor artist and aficionado of 1940s big band swing music. Above all, everyone knew Bill for his outgoing embrace of all friends and a magnificent sense of humor.

Bill was preceded in death by his sister, Martha Jane Furey Kittredge; his mother, Martha Reicks Furey; his father, W. Rankin Furey; and his grandson, Tyler Spadaccini.

He is survived by his wife of 57 years, Elizabeth Reed Furey of Kimball Farms in Lenox; four children, Lisa F. Spadaccini of North Conway, N.H., William M. Furey III of Reno, Nev., Tim R. Furey of Easton, Md., Peter R. Furey of Lafayette, Colo.; their spouses, Skip, Beth, and Resa; and seven grandchildren, Katie, Zachary, Peter, Natalie, Lindsay, Kira, and Anna.

FUNERAL NOTICE: A memorial will be held on the morning of Dec. 12, 2009 at First Church of Christ, Congregational in Pittsfield.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Boys and Girls Club of Pittsfield, HospiceCare in the Berkshires, and the Society for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy.