William Lee Schilling

Bill was born on October 1st, 1941, in Portland, Oregon, to Eugene Goodner Schilling and Carol Elizabeth Ireland, and grew up in Sacramento, California. He married his high school sweetheart, Dian Harris, on June 10, 1962, while still a journalism student at the University of Nevada, Reno. They moved from Sacramento to Atlanta in 1978, where Bill led Pepsi bottling operations for General Cinema Corporation. A magazine profile from that era dubbed him "the guy who runs Pepsi in Coke’s backyard." In 1992, Bill and Dian bought a Culligan Water franchise in Atlanta and ran it together for the next twenty-three years.

Known for his curiosity, his humility, and a streak of quiet daring, Bill lived a full life on his own terms. He was a youth boxer in his Sacramento years, a Monday-morning tennis player at Dunwoody Country Club, and a lifelong traveler who explored the world with Dian and dear friends. In his sixties he wrote a 150,000-word memoir, "Finding My Way," as a gift for his grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Tom Schilling, and his beloved wife of sixty-two years, Dian.

Bill is survived by his three children, Steve Schilling (Julie), Carol Smith (Greg), and Debbie Emery (Mark); his nine grandchildren, Aaron Smith, Preston Emery (Anastasia), Daniel Emery, Sarah Veach (Judson), Megan Cortjens (Alex), Stacie Emery, Audrey Turner (Sean), Courtney Schilling, and Kelsey Platt (Thomas); and his great-grandchildren, Lincoln, Eli, Yianni, Willie, Sophie, Mark, Aria, Madison, and Ada.

A service celebrating his life will be held at 11:00 AM on May 21st, at Dunwoody United Methodist Church Chapel, followed by a reception.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in memory of Bill Schilling to The Salvation Army, a cause he supported every Christmas of his adult life after a Salvation Army volunteer fed him hot coffee and a sandwich during a freezing flood-night in Reno in the early 1960s — a kindness he never forgot. As Bill writes in his book: "I couldn't believe it. Here this guy drives downtown on a night not fit for anyone, and starts handing out free food and coffee... To this day, it is a very special memory that comes to me every Christmas when I put cash into the Salvation Army Christmas kettle. I have paid back for that night every Christmas in the fifty-one years since. And am so happy to do it."