William J. Blampied

Blampied, William J. Sr. Age 79, of Elmira, NY, passed away peacefully on Saturday, September 30, 2017 at Chemung County Nursing Facility after a courageous battle with Alzheimer’s disease.He was born on March 30, 1938 to the late Roscoe C. and Jeanette (Joseph) Blampied. Bill is survived by his wife of 38 years, Eileen (McNamara) Blampied; sons William Jr., Daniel, and Timothy (Karen) Blampied; daughter Bonny (Bob) Potter; and their mother Beverly (Bates) Blampied, all of Elmira/Horseheads; step-daughter Molly McEwan of Brooklyn, NY; 6 grandchildren; 2 great-grandchildren; brothers George (Jeanette) Blampied of Douglas, GA and David Blampied of Cuenca, Ecuador; sister Suzanne Sawyer of Apex, NC; sisters-in-law Catherine (Richard) Seely of Horseheads and Frances Tamara of Elmira Heights; and several nieces and nephews. Bill was a graduate of Southside High School where he excelled in basketball, baseball, and football as quarterback in his junior and senior years. One of his favorite memories was playing against Ernie Davis in the 1955 SHS/EFA game. Bill also played basketball for Oswego State University.He played Elmira City League softball for many years and in 1968, was a member of the Calkins-Vickery team that defeated the famous Ed Feigner’s team, The King and His Court.Bill was very proud of that team and his teammates. He was inducted into the Elmira Sports Hall of Fame for softball in 1985, and also won the City League Tennis Doubles Championship in 1975, 1983 and 1984. Bill retired from the USPS after 27 years of service.He enjoyed hanging out at OTB with his buddies who knew him as “Waddy,” and he loved his children, his home, and his trips to NYC.Calling hours will be Thursday, October 5th from 4 to 7 PM, with a funeral service directly following at Olthof Funeral Home, 1050 Pennsylvania Avenue. Burial will be private. The family would like to express their gratitude to the staff of CCNF, especially for their compassionate care in his final days. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, at https://www.crowdrise.com/alzheimers-drug-discovery-foundation-nyc-2017/fundraiser/mollymcewan.