William E. (Bill) Portnoy, 76, of Wilton, New Hampshire, and Wilmington, North Carolina, died peacefully in his sleep Monday, February 20, after a short illness.
He is survived by his wife Diane; son Joshua of Wilton; brother John Portnoy of Wellfleet, Massachusetts; sister Elizabeth Carreiro of Duxbury, Massachusetts; a niece, Emily Carreiro; and three nephews: Eben Portnoy, Caleb Portnoy, and Jamie Carreiro. He was predeceased by his son Jonathan.
Born in St. Petersburg, Florida, to Waltham and Mary Portnoy of New Bedford, Massachusetts, Bill grew up around the beaches of southern Massachusetts and Cape Cod. He would joke about having a perma-tan from the hours he could spend in the sun. Active his entire life, he enjoyed tennis, biking, kayaking, hiking, and swimming.
Friends and family appreciated his droll sense of humor, quick wit, and sharp intellect. While he did not suffer fools gladly, he would gamely join other people’s lighthearted moments and frivolities.
A graduate of Colby College, he held a Ph.D. in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After a stint as a copywriter for Boston book publisher G.K. Hall, Bill joined Compugraphic in 1983 as a writer-editor. The following year he launched his freelance business, offering marketing communications and advertising services over the next three decades to a wide range of clients including Hewlett-Packard, Sheraton, and medical publishers.
After his retirement, he divided his time between his longtime Wilton home and his house in Wilmington, North Carolina, where the beach was a short drive away.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Open Cupboard Pantry, P.O. Box 111, Wilton, NH; or your local food bank.
