Obituary for William Joseph "Bill" Scharpf Sr.
William “Bill” Scharpf, age 92, passed away peacefully on December 15, 2021. Bill was born in Camden in 1929 to William Carl Scharpf and Elizabeth “Bessie” (Farrell). Bill had the mind of an engineer, always tinkering, building and fixing things. His mechanical talents led to a 35 year career at Sperry / Unisys, where he supported an array of systems starting with the UNIVAC I, the first general purpose modern day computer. In the early days of his career, Bill was sent to cold, cold Minnesota for training and one night a coworker set him up on a blind date with a beautiful young woman – Eileen – who would be the love of Bill’s life. In 1957, there were only a handful of mainframe computers in the world. And the very few men who knew how to repair these 50 foot long, finicky behemoths worked a LOT of overtime. So Bill made a deal with his boss. He'd forego hundreds of hours of overtime pay in exchange for time off to spend a precious weekend with Eileen – which required a 20 hour drive in each direction!
This story became family legend because it encapsulates so much about Bill. He was an incredibly hard-working man who loved and valued his family more than anything. He was also uncomfortable being the center of attention and disapproved of anything that resembled boasting. The extended Scharpf clan (six children, 15 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren) is a wonderful, cohesive family, successful and productive members of society. Rather than taking any credit, Bill would simply say he was blessed … or give all the credit to Eileen. But all of his kids and grandkids can tell you that he was their role model; he proved that it is possible to live a moral life; to disagree with someone without judging them; to welcome all sorts of people into your family; and to always, always support family in time of need.
Bill is predeceased by his wife, Eileen (Steinworth) and his sister Mary and brother-in-law Bayard (Larry) Lawrence. He is survived by his six children, 15 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
Children: William (Ann) Scharpf Jr.; Karen Cooper; Mary Jo (Richard) Tegethoff; Patricia (James) Day; Pamela Garofolo; John (Barbarann Keffer) Scharpf.
Grandchildren and great-grandchildren: William John Scharpf; Matthew Cooper; Andrew Cooper; Lindsey (Arthur) Peloso and daughter, Samantha; Jon Sheffield; Richard (Faith) Tegethoff III and son, Lincoln; Michelle Tegethoff; Justin Day; Alicia Day; Juliana Day; Nicholas Garofolo; Samantha Garofolo; Kevin Valentin; Raeleen Keffer-Scharpf and Gaeli Keffer-Scharpf
Family and friends are invited to attend his viewing on Monday December 20, 2021 from 8:45-9:45am followed by his funeral mass at 10.00 am both at St. Isaac Jogues Church 349 Evesboro-Medford Road Marlton, NJ 08053. Entombment will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Cherry Hill, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made on his behalf to St Jude’s Research Hospital for Children, Philabundance or The Atlantic City Rescue mission.
This story became family legend because it encapsulates so much about Bill. He was an incredibly hard-working man who loved and valued his family more than anything. He was also uncomfortable being the center of attention and disapproved of anything that resembled boasting. The extended Scharpf clan (six children, 15 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren) is a wonderful, cohesive family, successful and productive members of society. Rather than taking any credit, Bill would simply say he was blessed … or give all the credit to Eileen. But all of his kids and grandkids can tell you that he was their role model; he proved that it is possible to live a moral life; to disagree with someone without judging them; to welcome all sorts of people into your family; and to always, always support family in time of need.
Bill is predeceased by his wife, Eileen (Steinworth) and his sister Mary and brother-in-law Bayard (Larry) Lawrence. He is survived by his six children, 15 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.
Children: William (Ann) Scharpf Jr.; Karen Cooper; Mary Jo (Richard) Tegethoff; Patricia (James) Day; Pamela Garofolo; John (Barbarann Keffer) Scharpf.
Grandchildren and great-grandchildren: William John Scharpf; Matthew Cooper; Andrew Cooper; Lindsey (Arthur) Peloso and daughter, Samantha; Jon Sheffield; Richard (Faith) Tegethoff III and son, Lincoln; Michelle Tegethoff; Justin Day; Alicia Day; Juliana Day; Nicholas Garofolo; Samantha Garofolo; Kevin Valentin; Raeleen Keffer-Scharpf and Gaeli Keffer-Scharpf
Family and friends are invited to attend his viewing on Monday December 20, 2021 from 8:45-9:45am followed by his funeral mass at 10.00 am both at St. Isaac Jogues Church 349 Evesboro-Medford Road Marlton, NJ 08053. Entombment will follow at Calvary Cemetery, Cherry Hill, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made on his behalf to St Jude’s Research Hospital for Children, Philabundance or The Atlantic City Rescue mission.