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In Memoriam
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William A. Mraz
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2/25/2026
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William (Bill) Arthur Mraz passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of Wednesday, February 25, 2026, just a few weeks shy of his 90th birthday. He was born in Middlebury on March 17, 1936-St. Patrick's Day. Despite not having a speck of Irish in him, he was pleased there was always a lively time to be had on his birthday. A lifelong Vermonter, Bill was well known to many for his ingenuity, independence, storytelling and dry wit.
Bill grew up on South Munger Street in Middlebury, and spent summers on Lake Dunmore with his parents Charles and Letitia (Malpezzi) Mraz, and big brother Charles, Jr. He refused to attend kindergarten because it required a daily nap. He graduated from Middlebury High School (1954), earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Norwich University (1958) and pursued further studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). He was a Lieutenant in the United States Army Reserves.
Bill met the love of his life, Patricia Beers, on a blind date at Basin Harbor Resort, and they married in 1960. They raised their four children on a 1792 homestead on three hundred acres in Georgia, VT, and kept ducks, dogs, cats, a pony, a horse, a pig and a rescued owl. In 1977, Bill and Pat moved the family to Middlebury, where he succeeded his father as owner/operator of Champlain Valley Apiaries and lived on Seminary Street.
Bill greeted the world as a simple country man with a dog, but under the surface he was more of a Renaissance man. He loved cities, international travel and ethnic restaurants of all kinds. On many a Sunday, he and Pat drove their kids from Georgia to Montreal for French fondue or Chinese buffet and big city culture. His sensibilities proved contagious, and his children all adopted similar passions for life. A voracious reader and close observer of nature, he accumulated a professorial array of knowledge and could expound thoroughly and accurately on the flora, fauna and history of Vermont. Sometimes you couldn't stop him talking, yet he was also a man of few words. He wanted nothing to do with cell phones or computers. He judged young people by a simple code: If you had good aim and understood physics, you were at least passable in his book.
Bill built a long and respected career in design development and manufacturing engineering. He worked at General Electric in Burlington, VT; Sturm, Ruger & Co. in Newport, NH; and Space Research Corporation and Phoenix Engineering, both in Newport, VT. He traveled to Barbados, Jordan, Korea, France and Belgium and worked on countless weaponry projects including the design of the GE M134 Minigun, critical for U.S. Air Cavalry forces in Vietnam, and the Sturm Ruger Mini-14 lightweight rifle. A gifted problem solver and true engineer at heart, Bill approached every challenge with curiosity and determination. At Champlain Valley Apiaries he followed in his father's footsteps as a leader and pioneer in beekeeping. He invented a wax separator machine, to efficiently remove the beeswax from the liquid honey, that is used today across the beekeeping industry. He made advancements in the technology used to collect bee venom for pharmaceutical purposes. He was a skilled crafter in the woodshop where he designed hundreds of jigs to mass produce the wooden parts for bee hives. The honey business is now owned and operated by the third and fourth generations of the Mraz family-something that gave Bill immense pride.
An avid fisherman, woodsman, and hunter, Bill cherished chilly mornings on Mount Moosalamoo with his sons and hunting buddies, especially his mentor, the late Ed Buttolph of Middlebury. He passed on his love of the outdoors to his children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, teaching them to fish, boat and sail on Lake Champlain and to hunt, camp and ski in the Green Mountains. Bill was a devoted conservationist who deeply respected the natural world that gave him so much joy.
He and Pat spent endless hours on the road transporting kids-then grandkids-to ice hockey rinks across New England and Quebec. In retirement, they enjoyed escaping the winter to Culebra, Puerto Rico with their dear friends Martha Winant and Roger Wales. They spent twenty-five summers hosting friends and family at their lakefront camp in West Addison, VT. Bill kept the first car he ever bought, a 1933 Dodge Coupe. In the early 2000s he restored it and became a committed member of Vermont Automobile Enthusiasts, proudly driving his "33" in town parades and events, the highlight of which was the annual Vermont Antique and Classic Car Meet in Waterbury. Bill was especially fond of his beloved Vizsla hunting dogs, Ikar and Edi, who held a singular place in his heart. They were truly his best friends and companions.
Bill was predeceased by his wife Patricia and his brother Charles, Jr., both in 2022, and his firstborn son and namesake, William B., in 2006. He is survived by his daughters, Katherine Mraz of Oakland, CA and Sarah Mraz (John MacKenna) of Sarasota, FL; his daughter-in-law Judie Mraz (Stephen Dion) of Newington, NH; his son, Charles E. Mraz (Isabel Mraz) of Middlebury; his sisters, Marna Erech of Winooski, VT, Laurie Zwaan (Anthony Zwaan) of Exeter, NH and Michelle Mraz (Rob Backus) of Burlington, VT; his grandchildren, Benjamin, Derek, Tyler, Curtis, Stefan, Georgina and Charles Paul; his two sisters-in-law Sarah Beers and Celia Mraz, and many nieces, nephews and cousins from both the Czech and Italian sides of his family. In his final months, Bill resided at The Residence at Otter Creek, where he was cared for with compassion by the staff and his favorite private caregiver, Evie Geehan. Our favorite curmudgeon-a brilliant engineer, steadfast teacher, devoted outdoorsman, and lover of dogs-will be long remembered.
Visiting hours will be held on Friday, March 20, 2026 at 11:00 a.m., followed by a funeral service at 12:00 p.m. at Sanderson Funeral Services, 117 South Main Street, Middlebury, VT. Bill will be laid to rest beside his wife Pat in St. Mary's Cemetery in Middlebury, in the Spring.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Bill's memory may be made to the Rokeby Museum (rokeby.org) or the Vermont Automobile Enthusiasts scholarship fund (vtauto.org). Or take a walk in nature with your dog!
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