William Gordon Petrie

William Gordon Petrie, aged 84, died peacefully surrounded by his family on September 11, 2026, in Naples, Florida after a long case of Everything Going Wrong, slowly and then all at once.

He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada on April 21, 1942, the first child of Gordon Stewart and Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Petrie. Big Brother Bill to Penny, Bob and Holly, he was a fighter, a problem solver and a force to be reckoned with. As a kid he came home scuffed up but nonchalant from a neighborhood hockey game, with his two front teeth in his hand—a fair price for the win. He honed his work ethic from a young age minding his dad’s repair shop, Petrie Electric, where he learned how things work and how to fix them.

At age 15 he first met Judy, who after high school became his wife and teammate of 63 years. He put himself through Mohawk Technical College by shooting a mean game of pool, and graduated top of his engineering class. He went on to enjoy a fun and obsessive career in the manufacturing industry, where he loved the challenge of taking a struggling plant or business and turning it around, building and inspiring great teams and closing the deal. His work took him, Judy and their three daughters from Ontario to upstate New York, then three memorable years in São Paulo, Brazil, and through the Midwest. He capped it off in the Chicago suburbs with a 16-year turnaround run as President and CEO of Hendrickson, now a global leader in trucking suspension systems. Along the way, he naturalized as a US citizen and believed deeply in the American dream that he and Judy got to live out.

He was utterly passionate about golf and retired in Bonita Springs, Florida, to go full-tilt on perfecting his game, having fun with Jude, making friends and enjoying the hell out of a nice bold red wine. Over the years, he sank an incredible 11 holes-in-one (yes, 11!), came maddeningly close to a scratch handicap, and regularly shot his age as a senior. At various points he was a dedicated member of Edgewood Valley CC in La Grange, Illinois; Bonita Bay Club in Bonita Springs; The Hideout in Naples, Florida; and the Cullasaja Club in Highlands, North Carolina.

He is survived by Judith, his devoted partner in life; his adored but far too politically liberal daughters Elaine, Carolyn (Aaron Kirscht) and Sarah (Kyle) Stansberry; his beloved grandsons Nicholas Petrie, Griffin Thiel, Rowan Thiel and Will Stansberry; and his sisters, Penny and Holly.

A memorial service will be planned in the coming months. In the meantime, if you are so inclined you could join him in supporting the American Red Cross or the Evans Scholars Foundation. And to truly honor his memory, we ask that you forge ahead and do something brave, tell yourself you’ve got this, and go get ‘em.