William Haggerty

William Francis Haggerty, “Bill,” 68 years old of Advance, NC died on June 25, 2020 in Winston Salem, NC of complications from cancer of unknown primary.

Bill was born on October 11, 1951 in The Bronx, NY.  He grew up in Oak Ridge, NJ and was raised by his parents the late Gilda and Bill Haggerty.  He graduated from Jefferson Township High School where he later coached for 6 years. As a child and young man Bill was an incredible athlete who played basketball and baseball in high school and ran competitively.  He could sprint a mile in just over 4 minutes and he ran 9 marathons including the Boston and New York City Marathons with a best time of two hours, 24 minutes and 17 seconds.

Bill graduated from Catawba College in Salisbury, NC where he would later return to coach.  To know Bill was to know what a dedicated and hard worker he was.  When he set his mind to reaching a goal there was nothing he couldn’t accomplish, as is evidenced by his coaching career at Catawba. Bill started as the women’s basketball coach in 1984 where he turned a losing program around in just 3 years and then became the assistant men’s coach for 27 years. Bill was also the head cross country coach for both the men’s and women’s teams for 14 years.  The teams he coached accumulated 1,267 wins, 13 championships, and made 33 regional and four national tournament appearances. Bill was known for his excellent recruiting skills and during his time at Catawba he recruited over 260 athletes, 96% of whom graduated. He also directed summer camps at Catawba for 28 years, and was instrumental in fundraising for the school he loved.

Bill married his wife Carolyn in 1986 when he also became father to her three children Amanda, Jared and Travis.  They raised their family in Salisbury where they were members of First Presbyterian Church. Bill and Carolyn moved to Advance in 2005 where they have been active members at Clemmons Presbyterian Church.

Bill will be remembered by all who loved him as an incredibly generous man who was full of life.  He took pride in everything he did and always gave his best effort. He went out of his way for those lucky enough to have known him, and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for a person in need.  He inspired his athletes as a mentor and coach.  He shaped and inspired his children with his strong values and dedication to family. There was nothing Bill loved more than his wife, family, sports, and good food. He was fortunate to live a life filled with all of these things.

Bill is survived by his wife Carolyn, daughter Amanda (Jeff), sons Jared (Amie) and Travis (Amanda), and also by his brothers Steven (Laura), Robert (Nancy), and Michael (Alicia), and grandchildren Maya (13), Jonah (11), Emma (8) and Owen (5) as well as 3 more grandchildren who are on the way.

Due to the gathering restrictions, at this time there will be a small private service for immediate family only and details about a celebration of life will be shared once plans can be made.  Arrangements are being made through Hayworth-Miller Funeral Home and messages of condolence can be left at their home page.  In lieu of flowers please consider making a donation in Bill’s honor to the Cancer Research Institute at this link: https://fundraise.cancerresearch.org/BillHaggerty or contact the Development Office at Catawba College (phone: 704-637-4394; email development@catawba.edu) in order to make an earmarked donation to The Bill and Carolyn Haggerty Endowed Scholarship.