OBITUARY: William “Bill” Northrup

William “Bill” Northrup, Age 83, of Nashville, TN, passed away on May 7, 2025. Preceded in death by his mother, Marjorie Decker Northrup and his father, Ralph P Northrup. He is survived by his sister, Cheryl Brown Northrup; brother, Jack Northrup; as well as many special nieces and nephews.

Bill enjoyed flower gardening, gourmet cooking, member of two book clubs, painting, world travel, tai chi, yoga, circle dancing, and beekeeping. He spent a year at Ghana University, was in the Peace Corp in Guatemala, attended Colgate University and Vanderbilt Divinity School. He worked as a Clinical Pastoral Therapist and a Hospice Chaplain.

Bill was a truly kind and compassionate human. He always found time to listen, to laugh, to be real and to attend to the thoughts and needs of others. It’s hard to imagine one individual having so many friends that he had known for 50 years! Not just friends that called once a year, but genuine, loving friends. This says so much about our dear friend, Bill.

Bill loved to travel. He frequently went on voyages by air, land and sea. Whether it was solo or with loved ones, he always came back with colorful tales of new adventures. Bill moved through life in his own unique and beautiful way. I often communicated with him through text and laughed out loud at his responses. One of the last conversations we had was about coming over to my daughter’s house for a “modest party.” He always made me smile.

Over the years we had the pleasure of Bill attending holiday gatherings, and he always added such a delightful and insightful presence and perspective to our conversations. One year we talked about prison reform over dessert. He was such a complex and heartfelt person. We were always learning and were better for knowing him. He was a light to so many over the years.

Those of us that knew and loved Bill are thankful for the gift of his life. He was a blessing to his loving family and friends. We will miss him mightily.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, May 31st, at 2:00pm at Edgehill United Methodist Church 1502 Edgehill Ave. Nashville, TN 37212. Pastor Eric Mayle will open the Celebration, and Gretchen Watts, who has known Bill for over 48 years, will be the primary speaker. If you feel like you want to speak at this Celebration then at the appropriate time just stand up. (This is not a formal funeral).

Flowers are not always appropriate but in this case, Bill loved flowers, so if you would like to bring or send some please feel free to do so. If you would rather donate to a charity here are a few that Bill loved: Edgehill United Methodist Church 1416 Edgehill Ave, Nashville TN 37212, Glendale Baptist Church 1021 Glendale Lane Nashville TN 37204, First Baptist Church 78 Steuben St, Addison TY 14801, Penuel Ridge Retreat Center 1440 Sams Creek Rd, Ashland City, TN 37015, Pendle Hill Quaker Study Center 338 Plush Mill Road, Wallingford, PA 19086, Colgate Rochester Divinity School 320 N Goodman St, Suite 207 Rochester NY 14607.