Bill Sweeney

A Tribute

Many thanks to Darren Motise for creating this beautiful video tribute.  It is such a thoughtful gift.  

Obituary

William J. Sweeney, a dedicated and gifted music educator, died December 20, 2008, at the age of 68.   Bill was a teacher for the Arlington Central School District from 1967 to 1999.  During his 32 years of service, Bill was the director of Arlington’s extraordinary Wind Ensemble, led the Arlington Admirals Marching Band to championship victories in 1983 and 1985, and built one of the finest school music programs in the country as coordinator of music.  Hundreds of Bill’s students continued their musical education to become teachers and professional musicians, and so many more continued to make music an integral part of their lives.  He grew up in Gasport, NY, and was a graduate of SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music. A resident of Canandaigua, NY, since his retirement in 1999, Bill served as a frequent guest conductor and as an instructor at Ithaca College supervising student music teachers. Bill was predeceased by his parents, William and Emma Sweeney. He is survived by Linda, his loving wife of 46 years; his daughters, Laura (Scott) Brophy of Canandaigua, Jill (Chris) Heuss of Yarmouth, ME, and Tara Sweeney (Vikram Capoor) of Atlanta, GA; grandchildren, Nora, Will, Ryan, Caleb, Rachel, Milan, and Leela; brother Bob Sweeney; and sisters Maryanne Sweeney and Diane VanBourgondien. Memorial donations may be made to Serenity House of Victor, Inc., 1278 Brace Rd. Victor, NY 14564 or the Wilmot Cancer Center, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave., Box 704, Rochester, NY 14642. 

William J. Sweeney, 1940-2008

We announce with deep sadness that Bill Sweeney passed away on Saturday, December 20, 2008, surrounded by the love of his family.  We gain comfort in knowing that he is at peace after a very long, hard-fought battle. 

Service

A service was held on Sunday, December 28, 2008 in Canandaigua, NY.  We are deeply appreciative of the many friends, family, and students who came from near and far to help us celebrate Bill's life. We're gathering some of the remarks from the service now, and will post those that are appropriate when they are available.

Memorial Donations

Bill and Linda were thankful for the extraordinary care and support they received over the last five years. They have suggested memorial donations be made to Serenity House of Victor, Inc., 1278 Brace Rd. Victor, NY 14564 or the Wilmot Cancer Center, University of Rochester Medical Center, 601 Elmwood Ave., Box 704, Rochester, NY 14642. 

In addition, a few have asked if they could direct a memorial contribution to the Arlington Music Program, and that would be most appreciated as well: Arlington Band Boosters, Inc., PO Box 66, LaGrangeville, NY 12540.

 

A Heartbreaking Update

While we feel truly blessed to have had the last six months with dad, he has now taken a serious turn for the worse, and it is nearing the time to say good-bye.  His multiple myeloma has taken over, and he is in complete kidney failure.  Linda and Lauri are at his side at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, and Jill and Tara are both trying to make their way here in a fierce winter storm.  Please keep them both in your prayers for safe and speedy travel.

The photo above was taken in mid-October, as Rachel, Lauri, Linda and Bill made their way from Canandaigua to Portland, ME, for one last road trip to see Jill and her family.  Dad loves Maine and the ocean and it was a wonderful, wonderful trip.  We enjoyed good spirits, and dad enjoyed his favorites -- mussels -- at nearly every meal.  The photo of Bill and Linda was taken in front of a sculpture at the Dr. Suess Memorial in Springfield, Mass.  The words behind them are those of the book Oh, The Places You'll Go.  A perfect send-off at this hard time.  The full text can be found HERE.

Giving Thanks

While we missed Jill and her family, words of thanks and gratitude were plentiful at the Sweeney Thanksgiving this year.  There were not enough ways, however, to express our joy at having Dad at the dinner table.