William Joseph Switalski

SWITALSKI, William Joseph, 70, of Tampa, died peacefully Friday, January 18, 2008, at his home, surrounded by family, after a courageous eight-month battle with cancer. Bill is survived by his loving wife of 44 years, Linda Howson Switalski; his three sons, William Lee Switalski of Tampa, David Barkley Switalski and his wife, Kim, of Tallahassee, and Paul Evans Switalski and his wife, Kathleen Wasylik, of Tampa; his grandchildren, Caitlin Lee Switalski and Charles Meredith Switalski of Tallahassee; and his three sisters, Wanda Andrews and her husband, Stanley, of Titusville, Fla., Frances Earnest of Tampa, and Rose Marie Bullock and her husband, Paul, of Eastaboga, Ala., and their families. He was preceded in death by his parents, William and Ellamae, his in-laws, Leo and Velma Howson, and his grandson, John William Switalski. Bill was born on November 26, 1937, in Mount Pleasant, Pa. In 1952, the family moved to Tampa, where Bill graduated from Jesuit High School in 1954. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1958 and his Bachelor of Laws degree in 1961 from the University of Florida. Bill was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1961 and began his legal career with the firm of Gibbons, Gibbons, Tucker and Cofer. Three years later, he opened his own practice, which he continued until his retirement. Bill was also a principal in the Landau Mortgage Co. Bill was active in the Jesuit High School Alumni Association, a former member of the Jesuit High School Foundation and past honorary director of the Father Harnett, S.J., Memorial Golf Classic. He was a parishioner of Christ the King Catholic Church and, throughout those 43 years, Bill served in various parish ministries. He was most fond of his work as a confirmation teacher and as an usher at the 11 a.m. Sunday Mass. Bill was a past member of the Tower Club and the Chaine des Rotisseurs. Visitation will be 6-8 p.m. Thursday, January 24, with the prayer service starting at 7 p.m., at Blount & Curry Funeral Home, 605 S. MacDill Ave., Tampa. The funeral Mass will take place at 10 a.m. Friday, January 25, at Christ the King Catholic Church, 821 S. Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa. Entombment will follow at Garden of Memories Cemetery Mausoleum, 4207 E. Lake Ave., Tampa. Pallbearers will be members of the Jesuit High School class of 1954. Flowers will be accepted.