Dr. William J. Bakrow
Friday, March 18, 2005
Dr. William J. Bakrow, 81, husband of the late Maree
(Walsh) Bakrow, of Rockport, died Thursday morning at Mount Auburn Hospital
in Cambridge following a long and courageous battle.
Born in Rochester, N.Y. on April 22, 1923, he was the
son of the late Leonard and Edith (Adler) Bakrow.
Dr. Bakrow attended Harley High School in Rochester.
He earned his bachelor's degree from Brown University and his doctorate
in education from the University of Indiana in Bloomington.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
Following the war, Dr. Bakrow worked as a news
correspondent for United Press in Manila.
Dr. Bakrow helped establish the Motorola Executive
Institute in Tucson, Arizona, where he served as the executive director. He
later went on to enjoy a long and distinguished career as the president of
St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, where he served for 15 years.
Upon his retirement, Dr. Bakrow moved to Rockport in
the late 1980s.
He was very active in the community. He served as
interim president of Montserrat College of Art for one year, was a member of
the Rockport Rotary and served on the Rockport Finance Committee and
Planning Board.
In his spare time, Dr. Bakrow enjoyed fishing and was
an avid tennis player and member of the Bass Rocks Golf Club and the
Manchester Athletic Club. He was also a devoted member of St. Joachim Parish
and the St. Vincent de Paul Society.
He is survived by a daughter, Caren E. Laughlin and
her husband Thomas, of Davenport, Iowa; two sons, Bruce W. Bakrow of
Rockport and Lance A. Bakrow and his wife, Janelle, of Greenwich,
Connecticut; six grandchildren, Ryan Laughlin, Bret Laughlin, Allison
Bakrow, Ashley Bakrow, Jamie Bakrow and Sara Bakrow; his brothers-in-law,
John Walsh and his wife Joan, of Rockport and Robert Walsh and his wife,
Marion, of Tucson; a sister-in-law, Patricia Day and her husband, William,
of Sun City, Arizona; and numerous nieces and a nephew.
A funeral Mass will be celebrated Saturday at 10 a.m.
in St. Joachim's Church, Rockport.
A visiting hour will precede the Mass on Saturday from
8:30 to 9:30 a.m. in the James C. Greely Funeral Home, 212 Washington St.,
Gloucester.
Burial will be held in Beech Grove Cemetery, Rockport.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in his
name to the Society for Progressive Supra Palsy, Executive Plaza 3, 11350
McCormick Road, Suite 906, Hunt Valley, MD 21031.
