William Preston Ljungquist's Obituary
On April 20, 2023 William Preston Ljungquist passed away peacefully at Hospice of the Chesapeake at the age of 61. Bill has been a fighter his entire life. He was a warrior and fiercely battled colon cancer for almost 2 years. He is survived by his loving wife, Shellie and sons Colin and Ryan. Bill was born on January 5, 1962 to Conrad (predeceased) and Marie (Geesey) Ljungquist in Wilmington, DE. Bill has 3 surviving sisters, Allison Ljungquist (David Bishop, son Ian and wife Alyssa), Rebecca Pendleton (Peter, children Yeardley and Henry), and Sarah Herndon (Raymond, children Will, Emma and Josephine).
As a young child, Bill and his family moved to Anne Arundel County, Maryland. He resided in the Annapolis and surrounding areas until his passing. Bill graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland in 1986. Bill was also a member of the Sigma Alpha Mu (Sammy) Fraternity.
Following college Bill had a very long and prestigious career in his field for over 33 years. Bill held professional licenses in Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Utah and Washington. Bill was an early supporter of LEED and was LEED AP credentialed in the field. Bill loved engineering!
He also loved the outdoors. During college Bill worked as a sailing instructor and manager at RBSA in Rehoboth Beach, DE in the summers. He was an avid windsurfer and raced sailboats in and around Annapolis for many years. Bill competed in several Maryland Governors Cup races…. none of which we won! However, he was an exemplary captain and an intense competitor. He won the Commodore’s Perpetual Trophy in 2000 and 2004 on our boat, Torch just to mention a few of his successes.
Once the kids were born the sailboat was traded in for more speed. Bill taught the boys safe boating skills on our Albemarle. He instilled his love of the water in Colin and Ryan. Basically, if Bill wasn’t working and it was a sunny day, you could find all of us on the water boating, skiing or fishing and enjoying life.
Music was another one of Bill’s great pleasures. He loved everything from Bluegrass to Ska and in between. You could find him listening to Bob Dylan, The Clash, The Specials, Gary Clark Jr. and U2. He had the innate ability to listen to three notes and name the artist and song.
Bill was extremely proud of our sons both of who are also UMD Alum. Colin is an Electrical Engineer and Ryan has a Bachelors of Science in Architecture. The apples didn’t fall far from the tree. Family above all else was most important to Bill. He and Shellie were married for 31 years in March 2023.
Bill will be eternally missed by Shellie, Colin and Ryan and all members of his family, by his friends, by his colleagues and by those who had the privilege to know him. He was a loving, kind and generous soul who was taken from us far too soon.
Additional information will be made available once the funeral service and Celebration of Life have been finalized for a May or June date.
The family is requesting that in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions be made to Fight CRC (https://fightcolorectalcancer.org). Or to Hospice of the Chesapeake, Rebecca Fortney Inpatient Care Center, Pasadena, MD.
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