William C. Oliver

William C. (Bill) Oliver was born in Panola, Alabama on March 21, 1932. He was the son of James and Julia Oliver and preceded in death by his parents, his brother, James Oliver, Jr., his sister, Charlotte Oliver Owens, and his son, Dr. William C. Oliver, Jr.

Bill was raised in Panola and was a star athlete at Aliceville High School in football, basketball and baseball. Upon graduation from Aliceville High School, Bill was awarded a scholarship to play football for The University of Alabama (Roll Tide!), where he starred as a halfback and defensive back on the Crimson Tide teams that played in the 1953 Orange Bowl and 1954 Cotton Bowl. In addition to his football life, Bill was also a member of the Kappa Alpha Order and ODK Honorary Society and a Cadet Colonel in the Air Force ROTC.

However, Bill’s greatest accomplishment at Alabama was meeting and falling in love with Barbara Joan Tatum, the love of his life, who he married on August 20, 1954. After marrying, Bill served two years with the Air Force at Tyndall Air Force Base in Panama City, Florida, where the first of their four children was born. After finishing his service, Bill had an active forty-year career as a stockbroker, spending ten years in Birmingham, Alabama and thirty years in Atlanta, Georgia, where he resided until his death. After Bill’s love for his family, his love for the Alabama Crimson Tide football program was one that extended beyond his playing days for the rest of his life, and he relished time spent attending or watching every game on television. Bill also enjoyed playing tennis, golf and bridge.

He is survived by Barbara Oliver, his devoted wife of 67 years; his children, Julie White (Steve), Gayle Plath (Holger) and Mark Oliver; and his grandchildren, Heather White Broscious (Bryan), Brittany White and Dr. Stephen White, Jr.

The family will receive visitors between 3:00pm and 5:00pm on Sunday, April 3, 2022 at H.M. Patterson & Son (Arlington Chapel), 173 Allen Road NE, Sandy Springs, GA 30328. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Georgia Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, 57 Executive Park S., Suite 380, Atlanta, GA 30329.