William “Bill” Louis Tchakirides
Bill Tchakirides age 66, retired, of Shepherdstown, West Virginia died peacefully Saturday, April 27. Bill was born May 24, 1946 in Waterbury, CT, the son of the late William Tchakirides and Doris (Barsale) Tchakirides, formerly of Bristol and Farmington, CT, now residing in Manassas, VA. Bill is survived by his wife Ellen Louise Smith of Shepherdstown, WV and by his children Cassandra Corrigan and husband Matthew Corrigan of Manchester, CT; Penelope Cantor of Williamsport, MD; William “Buddy” Tchakirides and wife Rachel Neal-Tchakirides of Milwaukee, Wi; five grandchildren, John, Milo, Jason, Aden and Jacob; his sister Ellen Forbes Gerhard and husband Jeff Lychwick of Gainesville, VA and several nieces and nephews.
Bill was proud of being a father, a grandfather and a liberal. He was an artist and a patron of the arts. Of the baby boom generation, he worked as a Stage Director, Network Manager, College and Prep School Teacher, Lighting Designer, Computer Geek, Broadway Producer, Justice of the Peace, Theatre Electrician, Commercial Photographer, Non-Profit Administrator, Publisher, Playwright, Usability Tester, and as a Tour Guide in a Cape Cod Candle Factory.
In his retirement Bill played around in community theatres, designed and sold fonts for desktop publishing (UTF Type Foundry), wrote a blog, walked the dogs, helped his wife with the community garden in Shepherdstown, wrote reviews of the plays featured in the Contemporary American Theatre Festival and hosted or co-hosted two weekly radio shows. An engaged citizen, Bill supported the Sustainable Shepherdstown initiative, followed the democratic process and featured opinions and essays on his blog: https://underthelobsterscope.wordpress.com
Family will receive friends on Thursday, May 2, at Minnich Funeral Home, Hagerstown, MD. From 6-8:00 pm. A celebration of life will be held in the very near future. Memorial donations in his memory may be made to WSHC c/o Shepherd University Foundation, P.O. Box 5000, Shepherdstown, WV 25443 or Fine Arts Work Center, 24 Pearl Street, Provincetown, MA 02657.
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