George William "Bill" Atherton

Published in The Arizona Republic on 1/27/2008.

George William (Bill) Atherton, 73, passed away January 23, 2008, in Sun City West after a lengthy battle with cancer.

He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1934; graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio in 1956, and then joined the U.S. Marine Corps leaving the Corps as a Captain when his term was over. He then played professional baseball with the Cincinnati Reds, briefly taught at Loveland High School in Loveland, Ohio before going to work for the Ford Motor Company. Ford brought Bill and his family to Phoenix in 1972.

He retired in 1989 and became the owner of the Conservatory of Dance in Scottsdale and Paradise Valley.

He began playing Senior Softball in Scottsdale and Mesa, then moved 7 years ago to Sun City West and became very active as a manager there traveling with his Arizona Coyote Team to tournaments in different cities and with an American team internationally as well.

Bill was preceded in death by his first wife Constance Atherton. He is survived by his beloved wife Carol Atherton, a son and daughter-in-law Tom and Heather Atherton of Cave Creek, Arizona, and a daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren Christa, Scott, Stephen and Jordan Silber of Aurora, Colorado.