William Thomas "Bill" Bishop

Private services available through livestream via link below obituary.William Thomas "Bill" Bishop, age 80, passed away peacefully on October 17th, 2020 in Oklahoma City. He was born on May 13th 1940 in The Bronx, New York to John and Kathryn Bishop. He is preceded in death by his parents, his sisters Betty and Patricia, and his daughter Leah. He is survived by Peggy, his wife of 58 years, his children and their spouses: Mary Clair Wissman (Barry), Kathy Beynon (Lewis), Helen Woitchek (Fred), and William Bishop Jr. (Deanne), his grandchildren: Leah Gruber (Steve), Justin Beynon, Lauren Scorsone (Kevin), Jack Wissman, Eric Woitchek, Emily Woitchek, Kevin Beynon, Kathryn Wissman, Grace Wissman, Kaitlyn Bishop, William Bishop III "Trey"; his two great grandchildren: Benjamin and Elliott Gruber; and his brother John R. Bishop (Mary Ann).A fiercely loyal family man, Bill never allowed himself to miss an opportunity to spend time with his grandkids. Whether it was belting out oldies in his baritone voice, taking the golf cart out for a fishing trip, or reading "Twas the Night Before Christmas" every Christmas Eve to his entire extended family, regardless of how far away they were. He always found a way to amuse everyone. He was always an enthusiastic participant during the holidays in the annual Bishop Family Olympics. He may not ever have been able to climb the proverbial mountain in ping-pong, but he was always good for a strong showing in the free throw contest. He taught invaluable lessons about life to his grandchildren through his quips on the golf course. "Remember, if you top this, it's going in the water." "Woah, sixes and eights (on the last hole) don't get the privilege of going first." On and off of the golf course, he taught his family that you have to pay attention, work hard and improve daily to get where you want to be. The friendships that he built throughout his life withstood the test of time and endured to his death, which is a testament to the effort Bill put into maintaining relationships. He leaves behind many close friends.Bill enjoyed a wonderful career as an executive in the wholesale grocery industry. He began as a buyer with the O'Connor and Mosher Company in Syracuse, NY, worked for Scot Lad Foods in West Virginia, Nash-Finch in Minnesota and Mclane Polska. The height of his career was his service as President and COO of Scrivner, Inc. in Oklahoma City where he and Peggy lived for the last 20 years. Although he spent most of his life away from New York, his heart never traveled far from the campus of Syracuse University or the hallowed grounds of Yankee Stadium. He spent many weekends and weeknights cheering on his Orangemen in basketball and his beloved Yankees in baseball. He witnessed firsthand the 1977 Yankees World Series Championship game where Reggie Jackson hit a record-setting 3 homeruns.It only feels appropriate to end this the way that Bill ended every phone call with his grandchildren: "love you, Bud" or "love you, Honey." We love you too, Grandpa.The family is particularly grateful to Mercy Hospice and the nurses who provided care for him in his last days: Lily and Wendy.Funeral services are private due to the pandemic, however, livestreaming available via link below. He will be interred in Resurrection Cemetery in Oklahoma City.In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the St. Charles/ McAuley Clinic 5024 North Grove Oklahoma City, OK 73122 or mercyhealthfoundation.net, please specify Hospice for your donation.