William Jacob Astary

William "Bill" Jacob Astary, 68, died peacefully on the evening of Wednesday, June 5th, 2024, surrounded by his loving family.

A native of Sterling, IL, Bill was born to Francis and Jean Astary on May 26, 1956. Throughout his youth, Bill excelled in sports earning varsity letters in football, basketball, and track while setting the Sterling High School record in discus that stands to this day. After graduating high school, he attended Georgia Institute of Technology on a track and field scholarship. While at Georgia Tech, Bill met the love of his life and future wife, Marile Astary, earned four varsity letters, was captain of the 1978 track team, qualified for Nationals his junior and senior years, and graduated with a degree in Industrial Management. Bill went on to have an incredibly successful, 33-year career at Acuity Brands Lighting before stepping down as a Senior Vice President. He then worked for Lumenergi for three years as a Senior Vice President before joining Georgia Tech Professional Education as the Director for Industry Strategic Partnerships where he worked until his retirement in 2021. Throughout his career, he championed lifelong learning, earning an MBA in International Business from Mercer University and completing an Advanced Management Program at Harvard University.

Outside of work, Bill enjoyed spending time with friends and family, exercising, volunteering, coaching, and traveling. He loved playing basketball and competed on church league and industrial league basketball teams in addition to winning a Hoop It Up national championship. He also loved weightlifting and running, completing multiple 5Ks and half-marathons. More recently, Bill reignited his love for discus and shotput, competing in the National Senior Games. He was a devout Catholic and passionate about volunteering, devoting time to the Boys and Girls Club of Savannah, serving on the Tybee Island YMCA Board of Directors, and coaching discus and shotput at Benedictine Military School. He was a loving and loyal husband, an exemplary father, and an adoring grandfather.

Bill is survived by his wife, Marile; his son, Garrett Astary (Susan) of Silver Spring, MD; his daughter, Allison Taylor (Chad) of Raleigh, NC; his sisters Diane Sherman of Medford, WI and Donna Adams (Larry) of Rock Falls, IL; and his granddaughters Alexandria Astary, Audra Astary, Monroe Taylor, and Harper Taylor.

A Vigil Service will be held on Friday, June 21st at 5:30 PM and a Funeral Mass will be held on Saturday, June 22nd at 10:00 AM. Both services will be held at St. Michael Catholic Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider a donation in Bill's memory to the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Foundation (https://cjdfoundation.org/) or to the Tybee Island YMCA (donations may be made over the phone by calling 912-786-9622 or by mailing a check to Tybee Island YMCA, PO Box 2832, Tybee Island, GA 31328).