William Lancaster Critz III

1960 - 2025

William Lancaster Critz, III

September 6, 1960 - February 3, 2025

William Lancaster Critz, III, affectionately known as Will, C.C., Billy, and his personal favorite, "His Eminence," passed away on February 3rd, 2025, at the age of 64 at his home in Bel Air, MD, after a year-long battle with declining health.

Born on September 6, 1960, in Roanoke, VA, he was the beloved son of the late William L. Critz Jr. and Dorothy Jean Umberger Critz. He attended Andrew Lewis High School and Salem High School (Class of 1978) before earning his bachelor's degree from Virginia Tech in 1986. Billy spent many years residing in downtown Baltimore and working for H&R Block before retiring to Bel Air, MD.

Billy was a force of nature who left an indelible mark on everyone he met. A true southern gentleman with a larger-than-life personality, he was a blend of FogHorn LegHorn, Falstaff, Bluto Blutarsky, and a big teddy bear. He embraced life fully and it seemed to embrace him right back.

Billy's illustrious undergraduate years at Virginia Tech began in 1978. He had a fondness for Virginia Gentleman bourbon and Schlitz beer and always aspired for the finer things in life. His time in Blacksburg was filled with both adventures and misadventures.

Billy was an easygoing young man who loved Blacksburg. Shortly after arriving in town, he found the Zeta Psi Fraternity, and it was mutual love at first sight. In the same year that "Animal House" premiered in theaters, he pledged Zeta Psi as part of the infamous Alpha Nu (Animals) pledge class. Epic food fights erupted periodically in campus dining halls that year, and Will was present at the legendary Battle of Pritchard Lawn snowball fight between thousands of dorm students.

Billy reveled in college life, living up to his pledge class name. The bonds of brotherhood formed during those years lasted throughout his life. He rotated through every role within Zeta Psi, continuously giving his blood, sweat, and tears to the brotherhood. By the time of his belated graduation, he was a legend.

Although Brother Billy served as Chapter President, his true delight and calling was that of Pledge Master, a role he excelled at spectacularly. He loved inviting underclassmen into the brotherhood, sharing its history and traditions, and ensuring their introduction to the chapter was memorable.

Billy was rarely irritated with his fellow man; his first reaction was invariably to smile and let out a huge belly laugh. One night when an over-imbibing pledge projectile vomited on Billy, he just laughed it off and took it in stride.

He understood that a commitment to a fraternity was part of a balanced life. When an Air Force ROTC underclassman pledge had to choose between a mandatory Air Force function and a fraternity event, he turned to Pledge Master Billy for guidance. He said, "Forget them! Go do your Air Force thing." He handed him a pin from national with a big ole ZY right in the middle of it. "Wear this on your lapel. We'll always be here for you." The pledge wore the fraternity pin on his Air Force mess dress that night and never forgot that moment - it was the night he truly became a Zeta Psi brother.

In his later years, he became the informal "mayor" of Maple View Apartments in Bel Air, MD, and stayed active by volunteering as an official in his local voting precinct.

Billy was our pied piper, our prince of jest, our generation's merry prankster, and the instigator of all things mischievous. After nearly half a century, the veracity of the lore passed down is questionable, but what we all know for certain is that Billy was always the tempest at the center of the storm. As his fame grew over the years, his notoriety made him beloved, feared, and held in special esteem by younger generations of Zetes.

In lieu of flowers, please pour one out of your favorite beverage (or Schlitz "beer") for our fallen Brother in Arms, his Eminence Billy Critz.