Bill Kerrigan, businessman and broadcaster, dies at 82

BILL KERRIGAN, who was the youngest of eight children of Irish immigrants and went on to become a successful businessman, radio broadcaster and tireless volunteer for Catholic educational programs, died Monday of complications of pneumonia.

He was 82 and lived for many years in Drexel Hill and Bryn Mawr.

He was a resident of St. Martha's Manor, in Downingtown, at the time of his death.

"He lived the American dream," his family said.

William Charles Kerrigan Sr. was a salesman of industrial equipment, an Army veteran and devoted church leader.

He was proud of his Irish ancestry and his Catholic faith. He attended Mass nearly every day and was an active fundraiser for Catholic causes.

For 20 years, his voice was heard on Station WDEL in Wilmington, Del., where he worked as an evening and weekend newscaster, political reporter and talk radio moderator.

"My father's life was about three things," said his daughter, Margaret Mary Anderson. "He was devoted to God, family and country."

Bill was born in West Philadelphia to James and Josephine Kerrigan, immigrants from County Cork, Ireland.

He attended Our Lady of the Rosary Parochial School and graduated in 1946 from the former St. Thomas More High School for Boys. Even though the Archdiocese closed the high school in 1975, its alumni association has been strong, and Bill Kerrigan was actively devoted to keeping the memory of his beloved school alive. He later took courses at Saint Joseph's University.

He enlisted in the Army in 1950 and was stationed in Baumhalter and Mainz, Germany, as a member of the 17th Armored Engineers Battalion of the 2nd Armored Division. He was discharged in 1951.

Bill worked as a salesman of industrial equipment and retired from Eastern Lift Trucks, Inc., of Maple Shade, N.J.

He married the late Margaret Mary Wyatt, whom he met in second grade at Our Lady of Rosary School, in 1953. She was a graduate of Immaculata University and was a kindergarten teacher.

While living in Drexel Hill, he became a member of St. Bernadette of Lourdes Church where he was an usher, lector, master of ceremonies of the Communion Breakfast, and a prolific fundraiser.

He volunteered and raised funds for the church, St. Thomas More Alumni Association and the Catholic Youth Organization. He was a member of the Holy Name Society.

Besides his daughter, he is survived by a son, William C. Kerrigan Jr.; another daughter, Eileen McClatchy; a brother, Richard Kerrigan; a sister, Josephine Bowlby, and 14 grandchildren.

Services: Funeral Mass 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at St. Bernadette's Church, 1035 Turner Ave., Drexel Hill. Friends may call at 6:30 this evening at the John Stretch Funeral Home, Eagle and St. Denis roads, Havertown, and at 9 a.m. tomorrow at the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the St. Thomas More Scholarship Fund, Box 294, Drexel Hill PA 19026.