William McGarvey "Bill" Dudley

William "Bill" McGarvey Dudley

William M. Dudley, "Bill," of Lynchburg, died Thursday, Feb. 4, 2010, at Lynchburg General Hospital. He was 88.

Bill is survived by his wife of 63 years, Libba (the former Elizabeth Leininger, of Lynchburg) and three of their four children, Elizabeth Jarrett Millard and her husband, Stephen, of Charlottesville; Rebecca Lawrence Stinson and her husband, Steve, of Roanoke; and James Forest Dudley, of Lynchburg.

His fourth child, Little Bill, died in 1955.

Bill was a Patriarch to a family that includes surviving grandchildren, Barrett Godsey Golden and her husband, Andy, of Larchmont, N.Y.; William Blair Godsey and his wife, Sally, of Roanoke; Richard Tyler Godsey, his wife, Kristin, and their son, Forest, of Roanoke; Elizabeth Schuyler Godsey and her fianc‚, Ryan Somers, of Lynchburg; Jane FenleyStinson, of Charlotte, N.C.; and Suzanne Manson Stinson of Richmond. Surviving nieces and nephews include Shelby Paoliello King, of Columbia, S.C.; Kevin and Beth Finn and Lawre and Bill Bonekemper, all of Cincinnati; Paul and Julie Sheehy, of Richmond; Fran and Ridge Powell, of Concord, Mass.; Dick and Connie Paoliello, of Xenia, Ohio; Shelby and Dick Bryant, of Atlanta; and their many children. Others in his special extended family include Bobby, Happy and Mary Watts, Austin Williams and H. Goodwin and Christian and Marisa Millard and their spouses and children.

Bill was born in Graham, as the third of four children.

He was preceded in death by his parents, James Shelby Dudley Sr. and Jewel Jarrett Dudley, of Bluefield, W.Va.; an older sister, Margaret Paoliello Fleming; and two brothers, James "Jim" S. Dudley Jr., of Atlanta, and Thomas E. Dudley, of Virginia Beach and Bluefield, W.Va.

Bill entered the University of Virginia in the fall of 1938 with the financial help of UVa's Richmond Alumni. He started as a too-small place kicker and soon became their star player and team captain, garnering recognition as the university's first All-American in 1941, the Washington, D.C., Touchdown's Club's "Best College Player of the Year," winner of the Maxwell Club Award and the 1942 first overall draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Bill's years at the University were followed by a Hall of Fame career as a professional football player, first with the Pittsburgh Steelers, then the Detroit Lions and finally with the Washington Redskins. Along the way,"Bullet Bill" was named to the All Pro Team of 1942 and contributed to the war effort as an Army Air Corp fighter pilot instructor and as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces' "All Star Team." In 1944, he was named Most Valuable Player and today is recognized as one of the top outstanding backs of the 1940s. The Bluefield Bullet could kick, pass, punt, run, block and tackle; he ran offense and played defense, too. His determination to suit up and play his best at all times earned him places in the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, the College Hall of Fame and the Professional Football Hall of Fame.

In 1947, Bill married the love and light of his life, Libba, the former Elizabeth Leininger, of Lynchburg. While still playing pro ball, he entered the life insurance business and completed his degree at the University of Virginia (1950).

Bill's career as a life insurance agent spanned a half a century. He started with the Home Life Insurance Company and was eventually recognized as a Life Time Member of the Million Dollar Round Table, a leading producer for the Equitable and a respected AXA Adviser and estate planner.

In the mid 1960s, he added politics to his multi-faceted life, serving in the Virginia House of Delegates from 1966 to 1974.

Bill was raised as a Baptist. He was a long-term member of First Presbyterian Church, where he taught Sunday school and also served as a deacon. In later life, he converted to Catholicism and became a member of Holy Cross Catholic Church in Lynchburg and a frequent attendant at St. Lucy's Catholic Church in Delray Beach, Fla.

Bill's professional activities and business took him around the country, but he never outgrew or forgot his community roots and family-town, Lynchburg. For more than 50 years, he actively participated in and served on boards for multiple philanthropic and civic organizations, including the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and the Red Cross, his children's PTAs, the University of Virginia and as a member of its Board of Visitors and Liberty University, Life Underwriters, AAA of Virginia and multiple local and national football and golfing organizations. He was the first president of the NFL Alumni Association through which he worked with the NFL to establish the Dire Need Charitable Trust Fund with the express purpose of providing assistance to former NFL players and coaching staff members experiencing financial or medical need.

The family will receive friends from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 7, 2010, at Diuguid Wiggington Chapel, 811 Wiggington Road. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, Feb. 8, 2010, at Holy Cross Catholic Church, 7th and Clay Streets, Lynchburg. with Father James Gallagher officiating. A reception will follow in the church commons.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Bill Dudley Scholarship Foundation, http://billdudleyscholarship.com, or to the charity of your choice. Memorials to the Bill Dudley Scholarship Foundation can be mailed to Mr. Drew Wiltshire, TGM Realty Investors Inc., P.O. Box 702, Richmond, VA 23218-0702.

Diuguid Funeral Service-Wiggington Road Chapel, (434) 385-8900, is serving the family. Online condolences may be sent to www.diuguidfuneralservice.com.