William (Bill) Joseph Sproul, III, 89 of Lenoir, NC passed away peacefully on February 21st, 2026 at Amorem Hospice at 11:40 pm with his wife Suzanne by his side. Bill was born on February 5th, 1937, in Philadelphia, PA to Beatrice & William J. Sproul, Jr.

After graduating from West Catholic High School in Philadelphia, he entered the service in the United States Air Force under the Strategic Air Command and served for four years. After his service he went to work for a paper mill in Swarthmore, PA. That mill was bought by a packaging company called Cellu Products Co. who closed the plant and moved him to Shamokin, PA. There he began studying Mechanical Engineering at Villanova University. He also joined a "stock" club where his interest in investing began.  After two years, he was transferred to Lenoir, NC to help build a new paper machine. Upon completion he became a salesman and moved to Louisville, KY where he met the love of his life, Suzanne with her 2 small children, Jeffrey, 7 and Linda, 5. They married on June 6th, 1970 and moved to Cincinnati, OH where their twin sons, Daniel & David were born in 1971. He eventually moved back to Lenoir, NC in 1982. A few years later Cellu Products Co. was bought by Sealed Air Corporation. He remained with Sealed Air until his retirement in 2002 completing 42 years in the industry.

After retirement, he continued to enjoy following the stock market and making investments. He became involved in the Rotary Club of Caldwell County through a fellow parishioner Max Doll, one of the original owners of Cellu Products. Bill was proud of being a part of the organization even serving as President and continued to be active up until his death. He enjoyed meeting with his Grill & Brew club on Thursday nights to socialize and enjoy good meals and brews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, son David Sproul, sister Patricia Hickey, and Cousin Jack Sproul.

He is survived by his wife, brother Robert Sproul, brother Thomas Sproul (Maureen), sister Margaret Mueller, son Jeffrey LeRoux (Tami), daughter Linda Bemmes (Tom), son Daniel Sproul (Alethea), grandchildren Jamie, Kristie (Tom), Brian (Alycia), Aidan, Danny, Avery, and Declan. Great grandchildren Hannah, Sophia, David Joseph, Benson, Beckham, Tommy, Carter, Brooks, Tucker, Bodie, and Jensen.

A Memorial Mass will be held on Friday, February 27th, 2026 at 2 pm at St. Francis of Assisi, 328-B Woodsway Lane, Lenoir, NC 28645 followed by a reception for family and friends that will be held in the church's school building after mass.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations may be made to the DAVID W. SPROUL MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, NC.

Donors can mail a check to:

Lenoir-Rhyne University

625 7th Ave NE LRU Box 7467

Hickory, NC 28601

Make check payable to Lenoir-Rhyne University, and indicate that the gift is for the Sproul Scholarship.If you'd like to give online, visit www.lr.edu/give When selecting a designation, choose "other" and then type in Sproul Scholarship.

Online condolences can be sent to the family at www.greer-mcelveenfuneralhome.com

Greer-McElveen Funeral Home and Crematory of Lenoir are serving the Sproul family.