William "Bill" Warfel, 84, passed away on May 28 at Masonicare Acute

Care Unit in Wallingford following a brief illness, with family members

close by. He was born in Holyoke, MA, the son of the late Herbert E.

and Lucille T. Warfel. He spent his early years in Amherst, MA and

Durham, NH, and Branford, CT, before his family moved to the

Phillipines after WWII, where Bill graduated from the American School of

the Phillipines. He then went to Yale University, graduating in 1955

with a degree in theater. While there, he met his wife, Phyllis. They

married the day after receiving their degrees, and then Bill went on to

earn his MFA in stage lighting design at the Yale School of Drama,

graduating in 1957. Bill accepted a teaching position in the theater

department at Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, and later worked as a

technical adviser for Century Lighting in New York, NY, during which

time he worked on several projects for the New York World's Fair

(1964-1965), including the special effects lighting for the iconic

Unisphere. Also during this time, Bill co-founded his first

architectural lighting design company, prior to accepting a teaching

position at C.W. Post (LIU) in their theater department. Bill was then

offered his position at the Yale School of Drama, eventually becoming

Chairman of the Design Department.

During his tenure at Yale, Bill wrote two textbooks on theater lighting,

which are still widely used today. Over the course of his career, Bill

attended several international theatrical conventions, from London to

Finland to Iceland, as well as in the United States, as an esteemed

speaker and panelist. He was also invited by the Chinese government to

teach a seminar in Beijing.

One of Bill's professional interests was architectural lighting. Over

the years, he co-established an independent design company, which became

Systems Design Associates. Upon retiring from Yale in 1993, Bill devoted

much of his time to his lighting design company. Bill focused on his

lighting design work on museum, performing arts spaces and churches.

This focus brought him work from all over the country, to much critical

acclaim. In addition to his architectural lighting, Bill continued to

support the Yale School of Music with multiple operatic productions

every year in both professional and academic spaces. Throughout his

career, he received awards from many professional organizations for his

great contributions to the art of lighting, both theatrical and

architectural.

Bill was a devout Anglican, who served in several capacities in churches

throughout the area, including Christ Church Episcopal, where he was

currently a member. Despite his busy schedule, he was a family man who

enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren. He also

enjoyed watching birds in his back yard.

Aside from his wife, Phyllis, Bill is survived by daughters Arden Lowe

of South Hadley, MA and Katherine Trudeau of East Hartford, grandsons

Joshua and Ryan Lowe of South Hadley, Jeffrey Lowe of Holyoke, MA, as

well as granddaughter Melissa Trudeau of East Hartford, and three great

grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at Christ Church New Haven, Saturday,

June 3 at 2:30. There are no calling hours. Bill's family would like to

extend their deepest gratitude for the outstanding staff at Masonicare,

who, through their compassion and skilled expertise, made his final days

comfortable and free of pain.

In lieu of flowers, the family wishes memorial donations to be directed

to:

1) Christ Church New Haven,84 Broadway, New Haven, CT 06511 or online

at www.christchurchnh.org/givingand type Bill Warfel in the notes

Or

2) International Festival of Arts and Ideas by calling/emailing Patrick

J Dunn

203.498.3704orpdunn@artidea.orgor online

atwww.artidea.org/donateandtype Bill Warfel in the notes section.

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