William R. Downey Sr., 81, passed away on March 26, 2011, surrounded by family at Overlook Hospital. Friends can call at Dooley's Funeral Home in Cranford, N.J., on Tuesday, March 29, from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Michael's Church in Cranford at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, March 30. Born in 1929, Will grew up in Nutley, N.J., and attended St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, N.J. At St. Benedict's, he was a multi-sport athlete and a member of its 1947 state championship football team. He was also a member of Prep's baseball team that was inducted into the New Jersey State Sports Hall of Fame for winning a record 64 games in a row. Will graduated from Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, N.J., in 1951 with an engineering degree. During his career at Stevens, he was awarded nine varsity letters across three sports and inducted into its Sports Hall of Fame, where he was described as one of the most versatile athletes in the annals of Stevens' sports. In baseball, he was a gifted fielder and fine hitter who batted .447 as a senior and was offered a contract by the Brooklyn Dodgers. Will spent most of his professional career at Merck & Co. in Rahway, N.J., retiring in 1991 with 25 years of service, culminating as an executive in site services and engineering. He leaves his beloved wife of 54 years, Mary; their eight children and spouses, William R. Jr. and Nancy, Michael and Kate, Timothy, Patricia and the late Marek Ilkow, Margaret and James O'Gorman, Elizabeth and Ralph Sorrentino, Robert and Cheryl, Kathryn and James Ferguson, as well as 15 beloved grandchildren. He also leaves a brother, Phillip, and sister, Grace Michiels. In lieu of flowers, a donation to Autism Speaks or Cranford Family Care would be appreciated.