WILLIAM FRAWLEY

1953 - 2021

William John Frawley  
William John Frawley, of Potomac, Maryland, died of post-covid complications on February 14, 2021, at Suburban Hospital. William was the very beloved father of Christopher Frawley and Emma Frawley. He is survived by his former wife, Maria Frawley, and by his brother, Robert Frawley, as well as many in-laws, nieces, and nephews, who loved him dearly. He was predeceased by his parents, William John Frawley and Grace Moreau, and by his nephew, Garrett Frawley. Born in Newark, New Jersey in 1953, Bill spent most of his childhood in Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey. He loved the Atlantic Ocean and fondly recalled his young adult years as a baseball player. He received a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Northwestern University and enjoyed a long and vibrant career as an educator, first teaching at the University of Delaware and later at the George Washington University, where he was the Dean of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences in the early 2000s. He authored many books. These include: Linguistic Semantics, Text and Epistemology, a collection of essays on translation, and a translation of the poetry of Alain Bosquet. He was a talented writer and also published a volume of poems titled Tourist. Bill loved to travel and especially enjoyed his time in Spain, in South America, in Eastern Europe, and in Poland, where he taught via a Fulbright Award. He was multilingual and picked up languages readily. Bill was also an animal lover who cherished his time with family pets. His family held a small private Service on Wednesday, February 17, 2021. Burial will also be private and held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, his family suggests a donation be made in his name to the Second Chance Wildlife Rescue in Gaithersburg, MD.