William Andrew Copenhaver

Mr. William Andrew Copenhaver, 70, of Winston-Salem passed away at his home the morning of October 12 surrounded by his loving wife and children. He was born November 10, 1946 in Roanoke, Virginia, the son of the late William Pierce and Jane Farrier Copenhaver of Augusta, Georgia. He grew up in Virginia, North Carolina, and Montreal, Canada.

He deeply loved his family and friends, his work, and supported his community. He was a member of the Rotary Club of Winston-Salem and served on the board of the Winston-Salem Arts Council as Vice Chairman and as Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Summit School. An accomplished sportsman, his respect for nature and enjoyment of the outdoors were legendary.

Mr. Copenhaver graduated in 1969 from Duke University where he was a record-setting captain of the varsity track team. He received the Certificate of International Law from the City University (London) in 1971 and a J.D. in 1972 from the University of North Carolina School of Law.

Mr. Copenhaver was admitted to the North Carolina Bar in 1972 and joined Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice. He was an experienced trial attorney, serving as Practice Group Leader of Antitrust and Trade Regulations from 1987-2001. He was well-versed in class action and federal multi-district litigation, and served as liaison counsel for many defendants in multi-district matters. He frequently represented companies in administrative hearings and civil enforcement actions brought by federal and state agencies over the course of his 44-year career. He opened the Washington, DC office of Womble Carlyle Sandridge and Rice in 1998 and remained there until returning to Winston-Salem in 2004.

Mr. Copenhaver is listed in The Best Lawyers in America in three categories: Business Litigation, Antitrust and First Amendment Rights. He also is listed in such publications as Chambers USA's America's Leading Lawyers for Business (Antitrust and Litigation), Business North Carolina's "Legal Elite" (Antitrust), Law and Politics' "North Carolina Super Lawyers" (Antitrust Litigation), and in Marquis' Who's Who in America and Who's Who in the World.

He was a Fellow, American College of Trial Lawyers; Permanent Member, Fourth Circuit Judicial Conference; former Chairman, North Carolina Federal Bar Advisory Council; Member, Rules Committee, U.S. District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina. He was a member of the Forsyth County Bar Association; North Carolina Bar Association, Antitrust (Executive Council), Litigation and Intellectual Property Sections; American Bar Association, Antitrust and Litigation Sections. He was admitted to practice before the United States District Court for the Eastern, Middle and Western Districts of North Carolina; Court of Appeals for the 4th, 5th and 6th Circuits; the Supreme Court of the State of North Carolina; and the United States Supreme Court.

He was editor, North Carolina Law Section, Business Torts, A Fifty-State Guide. He was a member of the Joseph Branch Inn of Court at Wake Forest University.

Survivors include his devoted wife of 44 years, Anne Phillips Copenhaver; two sons, William Pierce Copenhaver, II and his wife Erin; Andrew Payne Copenhaver and his wife Roberta; one daughter, Catherine Copenhaver Fraise and her husband Evrard; seven grandchildren, Caroline Rose Copenhaver, William Pierce Copenhaver III, William Walker Smoak Copenhaver, Robert Hawfield Locke Copenhaver, Anne Aubaile Fraise, Henri Bowen Fraise, and Jacques Spencer Fraise. Also surviving are brothers and sisters, Paula Copenhaver Knox and her husband Larry, John Barns Copenhaver, Lisa Copenhaver Stallings, David Spencer Copenhaver and his wife Malisa, and dear nieces and nephews. He also is survived by his stepmother Karel Copenhaver and her family and by two aunts, Neil Copenhaver and Charlotte Copenhaver.

A private burial will precede the memorial service to be conducted Monday, October 16 at 2:00 p.m. at Centenary United Methodist Church. Reverend Craig Ford and Dr. Dennis Campbell will be officiating. The family will receive friends at Old Town Club after the service.

Memorials may be made to Centenary United Methodist Church, 646 W. Fifth Street, Winston-Salem, NC 27102; to The North Carolina Arboretum, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, NC 28806; or to a charity of one's choice.

Online condolences may be made through www.salemfh.com.