William T. Schnurr Sr.

08/23/2007

William T. Schnurr Sr., 70, of 35 Peasant Lane died yesterday at home after a four-year struggle with esophageal cancer. Born in Hempstead, N.Y., on Jan. 29, 1937, son of William and Isabelle Feeley Schnurr, he was educated at St. Joseph's School in Garden City and was a 1954 graduate of Chaninade School and a 1958 graduate of the College of the Holy Cross. He served with the National Guard in the missile division. Mr. Schnurr spent his career on Wall Street. He became a partner in Eastbrook & Co. in 1966 and a member of the New York Stock Exchange in 1972. He established his own firm in 1982. Upon his retirement in 1999, he rang the closing bell as the Dow Jones Industrial Average reached 10,000 for the first time. He was a longtime member and governor of the Stock Exchange Luncheon Club. He was also a member of the Garden City (N.Y.) Golf Club and of Wyantenuck Country Club in Great Barrington. He traveled to Scotland, England and Ireland annually and played at many of the finest courses throughout his life, In recent years, he served as a tournament official for the Massachusetts Golf Association. He and his wife, the former Judith Gilligan, were married June 29, 1961. Besides his wife, he leaves three daughters, Honor Blume of Sheffield, Leslie Lyman of Beverly Farms and Karen Secrist of Fairfield, Conn.; a son, William Thomas Schnurr Jr. of Moraga, Calif.; and 14 grandchildren. FUNERAL NOTICE -- A Liturgy of Christian Burial for William T. Schnurr Sr., who died Thursday, Aug. 23, 2007, will be celebrated Monday at 11 a.m. at Our Lady of the Valley Church in Sheffield by the Rev. John Lis, pastor. The family will receive friends Sunday, Aug. 26, from 4 to 7 p.m. at BIRCHES-ROY FUNERAL HOME. Expressions of sympathy in Bill's memory may be made to the First Tee of Massachusetts Inc., an organization for monitoring character development and values for underprivileged and at-risk youth through the game of golf, in care of the funeral home, 33 South St., Great Barrington, MA 01230. He leaves his grandchildren, Megan, Taryn and Colin Blume, Oliver, Theodore, Nathaniel and Bradford Lyman, Samantha, Tucker, Clare and Greta Secrist, and Lillian, Cooper and Kipling Schnurr. He was very proud of his grandchildren, to whom he was known as "Opa," and enjoyed having them around his home as much as possible, including in the last weeks of his life. They annually gathered at his home for a week of "Camp Opa," during which he directed their activities with enthusiasm and much assistance from their parents. He also leaves three sons-in-law, Douglas Blume, R.J. Lyman and Peter Secrist, and a daughter-in-law, Megan Schnurr. He was known by friends as "The Baron" at the Stock Exchange Luncheon Club and celebrated for his many successes at the card table and on the backgammon board. Most important to Bill was his family.

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