William Olcott

OLCOTT- William Alfred, 89, originally of Brooklyn, NY, died peacefully on January 31, 2021, surrounded by his loving children, of complications related to a cerebral hemorrhage. His passing comes weeks following the death of his beloved wife of 57 years, Anne Olcott. Until his final week, he demonstrated to his family a lived example of remarkable health, determination in the face of the pandemic's isolation, and grace to the end. One of five children, William lived a quintessential New Yorker's life, hailing from Park Slope, in love from his earliest days with the Brooklyn Dodgers. As a devout Catholic, his passion led him as a young man towards the priesthood, studying at a Vincentian seminary. His story took a dramatic turn however when, nearly a year from ordination, William radically chose a different path, a different vocation, a different calling. Heeding this call that,"...at the heart of God, there is family life", William left the seminary, soon after meeting his lovely Anne, marrying and beginning the story of his own family....Five fortunate children would follow, blessed to grow up in a secure home, with our Dad at the helm, quietly in charge, protecting our childhood, alighting our Christmas mornings, setting us all on our paths for the future, all of us forever grateful that he was willing to be so brave, so open to what his own heart truly desired, and to pursue it before it was too late....In his work life, William was a distinguished journalist at McGraw-Hill in Manhattan, rising to Editor-In-Chief of two publications, eventually authoring his own book....In the end, our Dad would always return home to his family life, a reality that leaves his children and twelve grandchildren heartbroken without our patriarch, our Dad, our Papa, "Big Guy", "Super Jock". The world, without this good man, this true gentleman, is diminished. But we all, Christopher, James, Katharine, William M., and Terence, with our beloved spouses and Papa's twelve adored grandchildren, know how to carry it forward. Dad, Papa, we already miss you terribly, and we will remember and love you always.