William Pattison, 78, sports enthusiast

William F. Pattison, 78, of Haddonfield, president of the Haddon Township Athletic Association in the 1980s, died Tuesday, Sept. 1, of complications from cancer at Lourdes Medical Center of Burlington County in Willingboro.

Mr. Pattison didn't confine his community involvement to sports. He was the school board president at the former Holy Rosary Church in Ashland in the mid-1970s, and parent-teacher association president from the late 1970s to the mid-1980s at Holy Saviour Church in Westmont.

He lived in the Westmont section of Haddon Township for 34 years before moving to Haddonfield in 2010.

"He was a business person," son Mark said, and so, in addition to his day job, he took on the volunteer responsibilities of heading the organizations "as someone involved in the community."

Mr. Pattison retired in the mid-1990s as a regional sales manager in Gibbsboro for the consumer credit-reporting agency Equifax.

His son said that during his 35-year career with the firm, "he sold credit reporting services to financial institutions, such as mortgage companies."

After retiring, Mr. Pattison worked for the Haddon Township School District, driving its sports teams - baseball, football, soccer - and their coaches to competitions.

"My father was a tremendous sports fan," his son said, so driving vans and buses filled with teams was not an effort.

Mr. Pattison wasn't just an athletic association president, his son said: "He coached me in baseball and my sister in softball."

Born in Camden, Mr. Pattison graduated in 1955 from Collingswood High School, studied business at Drexel University, and served a six-year enlistment in the New Jersey Army National Guard.

Besides his son, Mr. Pattison is survived by his wife of 54 years, Judith; daughter Mary Kelly; a sister; and four grandchildren.

A visitation was set from 9 to 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4, at the Foster-Warne Funeral Home, 820 Haddon Ave., Collingswood, before an 11 a.m. Funeral Mass at Holy Saviour Church, 50 Emerald Ave., Westmont, with interment in Calvary Cemetery, Cherry Hill.

Donations may be sent to House of Charity, Bishop's Annual Appeal, Diocese of Camden, 631 Market St., Camden, N.J. 08102 or www.camdendiocese.org/hoc.

Condolences may be offered to the family at www.fosterwarnefuneralhome.com.

610-313-8134@WNaedele