William D. Sigismond

Rochester:
Died peacefully on Wednesday, June 3, 2020 at Hildebrandt Hospice Care Center, Rochester NY after a brief illness. Bill resided in Irondequoit, NY for over 57 years.

Born on August 13th, 1930 in Albion, NY to William Sigismond and Elizabeth Cook. Bill was a 1948 graduate of Albion High School and went on to attend Georgetown University where he graduated with a BS in Business Administration and Management. He earned his MS in Education from SUNY Albany and his Counseling Certification at the University of Rochester.
While attending Law School in Georgetown, he was drafted into the Army in 1954. Bill went on to serve our country for 4 years; he served in the Army Reserves for another 11 years, and retired as a First Lieutenant.

When Bill was an Army Reserve, fate would have it that his Lieutenant would introduce him to the love of his life, Mary Elizabeth (Beth) O'Grady 9 years his junior. For anyone that knows the determination of Bill Sigismond, once he met her, his mind was set that that they would marry. The union of their love would produce the family that Bill was so proud to boast about to everyone and anyone who would listen. Jackie 1st, and then Todd 2 years later. Bill and Mary Beth spent 32 wonderful years together until God called her home at the very young age of 54.

Bill spent 25 years with the West Irondequoit School District where he taught Business Law, and then became the Director of Guidance. It was when he, again, "retired" that he began, yet another career at Monroe Community College. Bill joined Monroe Community College in 1972 as an Adjunct Professor of Business Law until he became the Director of Experiential and Adult Learning, a position he held from 1989 until his retirement in 2016 at the ripe old age of 86.

It was in this role that Bill found his true passion. In this new role, Bill wore many hats which included worked one-on-one with returning adult students to help them craft an educational blueprint that allowed them to transfer their life experience into college credit. By doing this, they were able to obtain a college degree in the most timely and efficient way. Bill was available from the wee hours of the morning until 7 or 8 in the evening to accommodate the busy lives of these adults who were often working full time.

Bill worked with Empire State College and Roberts Wesleyan to establish partnerships so that many of these students could continue on for their four year degrees. In addition, almost any student who took advantage of the Disney College internship through Monroe Community College, did it with the guidance and support of Bill Sigismond. Bill was the college's dream maker. He took a personal interest in everyone he worked with, and did all he could to ensure everyone was able to succeed in these non-traditional educational experiences.

Somewhere along his journey he found time to co-author Business Law textbooks that were first written for high schools and then written for college students that spanned more than 30 years.

Life works in mysterious ways. Bill was not able to finish law school because of being drafted. Without that interruption, life would have led Bill in a different path. How fortunate for the many many lives that Bill touched that this is not the way the story went. Bill's story is far from finished; his legacy lives on through every life he touched. They will continue to spread the love and support to others that Bill mentored for them.


A private burial at Holy Ghost Cemetery in Rochester, NY. Memorial gifts can be made to the "Experiential Learning Scholarship" at the Monroe Community College Foundation in memory of William Sigismond at 1057 East Henrietta Road, Rochester, NY 14623. Or at https://www.monroecc.edu/index.phpid=18385.