William Collyer Linn ^{1 2}

  General Notes:

[Brøderbund WFT Vol. 3, Ed. 1, Tree #2557, Len Traubman]
William Collyer Linn, born in Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia 8 Aug 1905, was the only surviving child of 6 or 7 births. The others died in early infancy from unknown causes, possibly "allergies from his mother's milk." Bill was wet-nursed by a waitress in their family restaurant, whose husband was a cook there. Although Bill's family owned the best restaurant in Norfolk, Bill was a vegetarian until age 14, when he discovered stew - with meat. In spite of being able to eat the finest foods, thereafter he was a very "selective" eater. Bill graduated from Matthew Fontaine Murray High School about 1924. He played both tennis and basketball. He entered the College of William and Mary. As a junior, he was chosen for the exclusive "Flat Hat Club", begun there by Thomas Jefferson. Only two juniors and two seniors were selected each year. He finished William and Mary in 1 928, then worked for eight years for the telephone company, supporting his widowed mother. He was ineligible to serve in the U.S. military because he was too tall - 6 feet 5 inches!

In March, 1933 Bill met Til Daugherty on a blind date in Norfolk, Norfolk, Virginia. He said he loved her "because she could fry potatoes like a Greek". They were married six weeks later. After three years together in Norfolk, the telephone company transferred Bill to New York. They lived in Brooklyn Heights. Til traveled to Indianapolis for Collyer's birth in 1936. In 1938, Til's father died. Bill and Til moved to Lenoir, North Carolina to sell veneer from the family's mill to local furniture makers. Libby was born in 1940.

After Pearl Harbor, they returned to Indianapolis, where Chris was born and Bill continued in sales and management for the family's Hoosier Veneer Company until he retired. Bill was always proud to say, "I never missed a day of work in my life". And he didn't! He was known for being a hard worker, and for his integrity and keen sense of humor. He was well liked and trusted, and attracted both personal friends and business for Hoosier Veneer. Bill and Til sold their home and went back to Virginia to spend some of their retirement years in Williamsburg, where Bill did fundraising for William and Mary. "Back home again in Indiana", Bill continued to do volunteer work delivering "Meals on Wheels". They settled among acquaintances and friends to be at Marquette Manor retirement residence, where they celebrated their sixtieth wedding anniversary, then a wonderful 1994 Thanksgiving family reunion. In March, 1995 he weakened and passed away within a week, in comfort and quiet dignity.
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  Death Notes:

Name: William C Linn
Given Name: William C
Surname: Linn
Event Type: Death
Event Date: 04 Mar 1995
Event Place: Marion, Indiana
Event Place (Original): Marion, Indiana
Age: 90
Birth Date: 13 Aug 1905

Citing this Record
"United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JPH5-NQ3 : 4 December 2020), William C Linn, 04 Mar 1995; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
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William married Matilda Jane Daugherty, daughter of Harry Ermentrout Daugherty and Letha Moten Scott, on 14 April 1933 in Norfolk, VA. (Matilda Jane Daugherty was born on 27 September 1904 in Ladoga, IN ^{3 4} and died after 21 January 1947.)