William Woodthorp Reade Jr. died March 20, 2025, at the age of 81. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 1, 1943, to the late Laurie Eugenia Walker Butler and William Woodthorp Reade, Sr., who was killed in action while serving in the USAF during World War II. The late Julia McArthur and Dr. John Moore Reade, Bill’s grandparents, were well known to many Athenians. Dr. Reade was Director of Biological Laboratories at the University of Georgia where he was a distinguished botany professor for many years.
Bill grew up in the Five Points neighborhood of Athens and attended St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in Delaware before graduating with honors from Athens High School in 1962. He studied music, mathematics, and computer science at Clemson University and the University of Georgia. While at Clemson, he played guitar with The Caravelles, performing in college auditoriums and beach clubs across the southeast. Bill was honored to perform with R&B legends including Smokey Robinson and Ray Charles at a time when sharing the stage with black musicians was an act of civil disobedience. He went on to champion civil rights and social justice movements throughout his life.
Bill’s restless spirit took him across the country, eventually landing him in San Francisco during the “Summer of Love.” There, he frequented the famous City Lights Bookstore and continued to play music exploring folk, rock, and bluegrass while working in the printing industry. In 1979, he settled back in Athens to raise his family and manage the printing department of The McGregor Company. Later, alongside his late wife of 37 years, Shirlee Swann Reade, he founded Reade Printers. Together they enjoyed many years of partnership providing local businesses and the University of Georgia with award-winning communication and marketing materials.
An intellectual at heart, Bill found joy in reading anything cerebral, solving New York Times crossword puzzles, and “putzing around” on his computer, engaging in armchair activism and reminiscing about the past. He delighted in time spent with others, swapping stories, and sharing his encyclopedic knowledge of history, music, and literature.
Bill is preceded in death by his beloved wife, Shirlee. He is survived by his daughters, Laurie Augusta (John) Endris and Jenny Langdon (Kevin) Reid; stepdaughters, Kelly Arnold Johnson and Mary Melanie (Jonathan) Malnati; brothers, Marion Tyus Butler, Jr. and Thomas Walker Butler; grandson, Jackson Reade Endris; and step-grandchildren, Kit (Ross) Johnson, Loughrey (Yin) Johnson, Jr., and Jack (Savannah) Johnson.
A memorial will be held at Saint Stephen's Anglican Catholic Church (800 Timothy Rd., Athens, GA 30606) at 2:00 PM, on Saturday, April 5, 2025, with a graveside service to follow at Oconee Hill Cemetery. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Books for Keeps, P.O. Box 49761, Athens, GA 30604 or the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation, Inc. 125 Broad Street, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10004.
Bill leaves behind a legacy of loved ones instilled with the knowledge that stories—told well and with heart—have the power to provide the warmth of connection and inspire imagination. If there’s a library in the great beyond, you can be sure he’s already critiquing a cosmic sci-fi adventure, debating the physics, and delighting in a witty turn of phrase.
Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
