Obituary for William Bradford "Bill" Amsden PhD
William (Bill) Bradford Amsden, Ph.D.
February 19, 1938 – May 10, 2020
STRATHAM, NH - On Sunday, May 10, 2020, William (Bill) Bradford Amsden, loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle, passed away at the age of 82.
Bill was born on February 19, 1938, in Troy, New York, to Charlotte (Van Wie) and Guy Amsden and passed away peacefully in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Bill was raised in Latham, New York and graduated from Watervliet High School in 1955. He graduated from Albany College of Pharmacy in 1959 and continued his education at the University of Connecticut, earning a Master of Science degree in Pharmacy. While working as a part-time Pharmacist, he went on to earn his Ph.D. in Pharmacy from the University of Connecticut in 1962.
It is at the University of Connecticut where Bill met Elizabeth (Betsy) Coles. They married in 1962 and began a life-long love, friendship, and partnership with one another. In 1967, they moved to Latham, New York and spent the next 26 years establishing their family, community, and professional careers.
Bill joined the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department of Sterling Winthrop Research Institute in Rensselaer, New York in 1967. He would work there for the next 30 plus years, moving with the company when it was purchased and relocated to Pennsylvania in 1993. He continued with the company until 1999 when he retired as Associate Research Director of Pharmaceutical Sciences from Nycomed Amersham. Upon retirement, Bill and Betsy moved to the Seacoast town of Stratham, New Hampshire. Throughout his career, Bill worked in Pharmaceutical Development, specializing in Parenteral and Imaging Products, many of which are still used today. He was proud to have devoted his professional career to one organization and loved what he did.
Growing up, Bill belonged to Calvary United Methodist Church in Latham. He continued that relationship after moving back to the area to raise his family. In New Hampshire, Bill and Betsy became members of the Hampton United Methodist Church. There they formed amazing friendships and participated in many fundraisers projects to support the church.
What Bill valued most was his family, and well organized family vacations were key elements to Bill’s summer down time. There were high adventure drives down to Florida for Disney, pop-up camper trips to the Adirondacks for camp fires and fishing, and fun times at the beaches on Cape Cod and New Hampshire. He always made spending time with his family a priority.
Bill had many interests and hobbies, including; fishing, repairing his cars, antique collecting, latch-hooking, and reading the newspaper (usually three or more at a time). However, one passion he pursued throughout his life was woodworking. He truly enjoyed the craft and used it to create many amazing pieces, including the workbenches he used for so many projects. He helped his sons build their pinewood derby cars for scouts, built an octagonal picnic table and sandbox for backyard family fun, created a double rabbit hutch for his son’s pet rabbit Thumper and planters for Betsy’s gardens. His woodcraft projects were impressive and many are still used and admired today.
One of the most unique traits Bill was known for was his frequent note taking. Whether on his stack of three by five cards in his shirt pocket or in notebooks at home, he kept the critical information of the day, key moments in family history, or just his to-do and shopping lists. Those notes captured his meticulous nature and attention to detail and bring back fond memories of him to all who experienced them.
Bill was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Elizabeth (Coles), and his oldest son, Guy (Jennifer Potratz). He is survived by his sons, William (Benita Mushkat) and Eric (Sarah Egri); and five grandchildren: Kyle, Katelyn, Theodore, Rachel, and Jonah. He is also survived by his brothers, Richard (Catherine) Amsden of Tacoma, Washington and Douglas (Virginia) Amsden of Latham, New York, and many nieces and nephews.
A graveside service will be Thursday, May 21st at 1:00 pm at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Colonie, NY with Pastor Gordon Drake officiating. Please visit https://www.facebook.com/ParkerBrosMemorialFuneralHomeInc/?ref=bookmarks to watch the service live on Facebook.
In lieu of flowers, Bill’s family requests donations be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, PO Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014 or the Parkinson’s charity of your choice.
Condolence book at bowenandparkerbros.com.
February 19, 1938 – May 10, 2020
STRATHAM, NH - On Sunday, May 10, 2020, William (Bill) Bradford Amsden, loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, and uncle, passed away at the age of 82.
Bill was born on February 19, 1938, in Troy, New York, to Charlotte (Van Wie) and Guy Amsden and passed away peacefully in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Bill was raised in Latham, New York and graduated from Watervliet High School in 1955. He graduated from Albany College of Pharmacy in 1959 and continued his education at the University of Connecticut, earning a Master of Science degree in Pharmacy. While working as a part-time Pharmacist, he went on to earn his Ph.D. in Pharmacy from the University of Connecticut in 1962.
It is at the University of Connecticut where Bill met Elizabeth (Betsy) Coles. They married in 1962 and began a life-long love, friendship, and partnership with one another. In 1967, they moved to Latham, New York and spent the next 26 years establishing their family, community, and professional careers.
Bill joined the Pharmaceutical Sciences Department of Sterling Winthrop Research Institute in Rensselaer, New York in 1967. He would work there for the next 30 plus years, moving with the company when it was purchased and relocated to Pennsylvania in 1993. He continued with the company until 1999 when he retired as Associate Research Director of Pharmaceutical Sciences from Nycomed Amersham. Upon retirement, Bill and Betsy moved to the Seacoast town of Stratham, New Hampshire. Throughout his career, Bill worked in Pharmaceutical Development, specializing in Parenteral and Imaging Products, many of which are still used today. He was proud to have devoted his professional career to one organization and loved what he did.
Growing up, Bill belonged to Calvary United Methodist Church in Latham. He continued that relationship after moving back to the area to raise his family. In New Hampshire, Bill and Betsy became members of the Hampton United Methodist Church. There they formed amazing friendships and participated in many fundraisers projects to support the church.
What Bill valued most was his family, and well organized family vacations were key elements to Bill’s summer down time. There were high adventure drives down to Florida for Disney, pop-up camper trips to the Adirondacks for camp fires and fishing, and fun times at the beaches on Cape Cod and New Hampshire. He always made spending time with his family a priority.
Bill had many interests and hobbies, including; fishing, repairing his cars, antique collecting, latch-hooking, and reading the newspaper (usually three or more at a time). However, one passion he pursued throughout his life was woodworking. He truly enjoyed the craft and used it to create many amazing pieces, including the workbenches he used for so many projects. He helped his sons build their pinewood derby cars for scouts, built an octagonal picnic table and sandbox for backyard family fun, created a double rabbit hutch for his son’s pet rabbit Thumper and planters for Betsy’s gardens. His woodcraft projects were impressive and many are still used and admired today.
One of the most unique traits Bill was known for was his frequent note taking. Whether on his stack of three by five cards in his shirt pocket or in notebooks at home, he kept the critical information of the day, key moments in family history, or just his to-do and shopping lists. Those notes captured his meticulous nature and attention to detail and bring back fond memories of him to all who experienced them.
Bill was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Elizabeth (Coles), and his oldest son, Guy (Jennifer Potratz). He is survived by his sons, William (Benita Mushkat) and Eric (Sarah Egri); and five grandchildren: Kyle, Katelyn, Theodore, Rachel, and Jonah. He is also survived by his brothers, Richard (Catherine) Amsden of Tacoma, Washington and Douglas (Virginia) Amsden of Latham, New York, and many nieces and nephews.
A graveside service will be Thursday, May 21st at 1:00 pm at Memory Gardens Cemetery in Colonie, NY with Pastor Gordon Drake officiating. Please visit https://www.facebook.com/ParkerBrosMemorialFuneralHomeInc/?ref=bookmarks to watch the service live on Facebook.
In lieu of flowers, Bill’s family requests donations be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, PO Box 5014, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5014 or the Parkinson’s charity of your choice.
Condolence book at bowenandparkerbros.com.