Obituary of William Contini

Dr. William Contini, 84, of Binghamton, passed away August 18, 2017 in Wilson Hospital with family by his side. He had struggled for several years with sarcoidosis, heart disease and kidney failure. Bill was an internist and cardiologist who loved medicine and caring for patients, and spent over 55 years practicing locally, first as an internist and then specializing in cardiology. He is remembered by many for his laid back, kind, and pretense-free demeanor and for his sense of humor, which was often expressed simply with a raised eyebrow. Bill was born in South Hadley, Massachusetts to Italian immigrants Cesira and Frank. He started working at the age of 7 in his father's bakery peeling apples for pies and tarts. Some of his numerous recounted "first" jobs were shuttling/hauling tobacco (paid by the load), and bridge construction on the Mass Pike. Bill has said that all of his early jobs taught him what he did not want to do. His life path was affected profoundly by his older brother John, who played baseball, and his baseball coach, who helped him get a scholarship to Vermont Academy, where he played catcher and left field. Attending the academy paved the way for him to be admitted to Dartmouth College, where he played soccer and graduated with honors in 1955. He went on to receive his medical degree from the Perlman School of Medicine at University of Pennsylvania. Following medical school, he served in the Navy as a medical officer in Okinawa. Bill joined a private practice in Binghamton that later became instrumental in the local shift from smaller offices to larger health centers: The practice he initially joined grew first into Associates of Internal Medicine, then United Medical Associates, and eventually became a part of UHS. As a local cardiologist, he also served a term as president for the local chapter of the American Heart Association. He enjoyed spending time with his family, coached CYO soccer teams that his children were on, and often brought the whole family to Innsbruck USA where he was also a ski slope medic. He and Kathryn loved the outdoors and took the children on camping trips throughout their childhood, which they all survived. Bill delighted his children and grandchildren with his endless supply of made up stories, which often featured his listeners disguised as characters. He was a gentleman farmer, very fond of his tractor and bush hog, and planted a number of trees, some of which he didn't mow over. His favorite tree was the Japanese Maple, and for over 25 years in the spring he dug up seedlings from the front lawn to cultivate. Bill was a regular jogger until he ran the Boston Marathon and wrecked his hip. He loved a good bargain, often going out of his way to attend auctions. Some notable acquisitions include a NYSEG truck, which the next door neighbor offered to dynamite, eight ducklings for the back yard, and a whole metal rack-stand full of socks from a store going out of business. We wore them for years. He was an avid crossword puzzler, and in his later years, crosswords became an activity the whole family joined in on during breakfast and throughout the day.He was a legendary backstroke swimmer at Quaker Lake. He was a sweet, sweet man who was easy to love. He says a final "Yo!" to us all. Bill was predeceased by his parents, Cesira and Frank Contini, sisters Julia and Helen. He is survived by his loving wife of 51 years, Kathryn (Ryan), and their four children: David and his wife Alex (Caton), Tom, Sarah, and Christa and her husband Ezequiel (Oyuela); three grandchildren: Nickolaus Rent, Keaton Contini, and Julia Jaquez; two brothers: John and his wife Barbara, and Edward and his wife Arlene; the extended Ryan family: Margaret Galvin, Patricia and Peter Bullis, Jim and Jane Ryan, Jane Ryan and Ren Wilkinson, Maryann Ryan, Bernadette and Don Smith; many beloved nieces and nephews, and numerous patients and colleagues. Funeral Services will be held at the J.A. McCormack Sons Funeral Home, 141 Main Street, Binghamton, Tuesday at 10 a.m. Rev. Msgr. John P. Putano will officiate. Burial will be in Quaker Lake Cemetery, Quaker Lake, PA at the convenience of the family. The family will receive friends at the McCormack Funeral Home, Monday from 4 to 7 p.m. In lieu of flowers expressions of sympathy in Bill's name may be made to the Dr. Garabed Fattal Community Free Clinic, 225 Front Street, Bighamton, NY 13905 (607)778-3938.