Gregor William "Bill" Greer

1941 - 2020

GREER, Gregor William "Bill", 79, a longtime resident of Richmond, and son of U.S. Navy Cmdr. Harry Holt Greer Jr. and Barbara Balfour Greer, died peacefully at his home October 13, 2020. He was born on July 9, 1941, in New London, Conn. During World War II, with his father overseas, Bill and his older sister moved to their grandmother's home in South Pasadena, Calif. It would become his second home through the 1950s. When his father returned from combat duty in the Pacific, the family moved often. Bill was graduated from high school in Falls Church, Va., and matriculated at Brown University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in architectural history. During his undergraduate years, he took up the banjo and played in a folk group in the Providence area. After Brown, he and fellow musician Mary Zettelman, who would become his wife, moved to Chicago. There he was graduated from the Institute of Design with a master's degree in industrial design. Bill and Mary lived in Hudson, Ohio, with their four children. Bill initially worked as a designer before pivoting to a career in marketing and research. His projects included historic architectural restoration throughout the southeastern United States. He moved to Richmond in the late 1970s, where he was active in many cultural, educational and philanthropic organizations as a board member or volunteer. Bill is survived by his four children, Maidie Rosengarden (William Mrkvicka) of Coos Bay, Ore., Sarah Greer (Chris Gable) of Middlefield, Ohio, Abby Greer Lasko (Chris) of Kent, Ohio and Jim Greer (Clarence Berger) of Berkeley, Calif. Bill is also survived by nine grandchildren; two sisters, Gabriel Pryor of Huntington Beach, Calif. and Adelia Greer of Galway, Ireland; and a brother, Jim Greer of Menlo Park, Calif. Besides his banjo, Bill enjoyed playing piano and singing in his church choir. He dabbled in the antiques business while in Richmond, spending many weekends in Edenton, N.C., searching for Tidewater antiques, which he would refurbish and sell in Richmond. He also enjoyed traveling to visit his far-flung family. Due to the pandemic, a funeral will not be held. A private memorial service will be held in the future. In lieu of flowers, Bill's children would recommend a contribution to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation. http://www.themmrf.org/