William Frank Urich

William Frank Urich of Hillsborough, California lost his long battle with prostate cancer on August 9th 2023 soon after his 79th birthday. Bill loved being a dad to his two sons Will and Tommy and his daughter-in-law Kim and took great delight in being a grandfather to his adorable grand babies Chloe and Kai. He and his wife Jeanne of 37 years made a wonderful life together which included numerous adventures, skiing and biking trips and lots of laughter, stories and companionship. Sadly, both of Bill's brothers, Albert and Jack, also died this year so they are now reunited with the family's beloved dog Piper telling tall tales and eating fried egg sandwiches and donut holes while investing in weekly mega millions lottery tickets.

Bill was born on August 3,1944 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Albert and Theresa Urich. He graduated from North Allegheny High School in 1962 and then went on to Yale University graduating with a degree in Economics in 1966. He earned a Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968. After graduation he headed west, first to Lansing, Michigan as a Vista legal volunteer and then to Stanford University in 1971 for California bar school. At Stanford he met many of his lifetime friends and enjoyed 52 years of Stanford football games and tailgates.

Bill is best remembered for his quick wit and sense of humor. He could always be counted on for interesting albeit long stories about his childhood pranks or fascinating legal cases. He was the consummate caregiver, always willing to help family and friends and fix whatever needed fixing often with duct tape and bungee cords. He loved coaching his sons at little league baseball and teaching them how to ski. He was always there for others, selfless and generous to all. He was relied on for advice, hard work, honesty and calm, unfailing strength. He took his greatest pleasure in helping others, without regard to his own self interests.

Bill practiced law as a litigator with Moran, Urich and Evans in San Francisco for over 40 years, first as a criminal defense attorney and then as a family law specialist. Some of his proudest achievements were winning numerous high-profile criminal and divorce trials. One of his most intense cases involved recovering the theft of millions of dollars of priceless Chinese artifacts and treasures which led him through the underworld of Chinese tongs in Hong Kong.

After moving to Hillsborough in 2000, Bill devoted countless hours to battling eucalyptus trees and bark to become one of Hillsborough's most knowledgeable fire prevention experts, winning a golden shovel award for his fire prevention efforts. He was happiest gardening with his pal Domingo or shoveling snow at his cabin in Tahoe. He and his wife Jeanne loved to travel - with at least annual mega trips to Europe, China and South America. They also took several long bike camping trips with Jeanne's brother and sister-in-law Jerry and Bobbi.

A celebration of life will be held November 8th at the Olympic Club Lakeside in the same room where Bill and Jeanne were married in 1986. Memorials can be made to the Canine Companions Wilks Family fundraiser at https://p2p.onecause.com/dogfestbayarea23/ari-wilks , in honor of Mama dog Dawn and the adorable 35 life-changing puppies she has brought into this world.

Please share memories and condolences with [email protected] or may be shared at www.neptune-society.com/location/belmont-ca for the Urich family.