Shelburne, Vt. — Bill Brobston died in Shelburne, on Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2018, at the age of 105. To say he was relentlessly positive about life is not an overstatement, and he had a positive influence on virtually everyone he met. To spend an hour with him, even in his declining years, was an uplifting experience. He mourned the loss of his age-mate friends as the years passed, but his adventuresome zest for life, wit, and common sense attracted many younger friends who looked to him as both mentor and inspiration.

Bill was born in Nazareth, Pa., in 1913, the son of Joseph and Alma Spear Brobston. He graduated from Salisbury School in Connecticut and the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania. After graduation, he played minor league baseball in the Adirondack League before entering the cement business as a trainee with Lehigh Portland Cement. He was the founding president of Atlantic Cement, and he retired as Chairman of Alpha Portland Cement.

With his first wife, Catherine (née Porter), Bill delighted in raising four children in Allentown, Pa., New Rochelle, N.Y., and Darien, Conn. Baseball, tennis, bocce, ice skating, hiking, and other sports were central to family life. He built a tennis backboard and skating rink in the backyard and filled the living room with a large trampoline. Bill also imparted his love of books, poetry, history, and music. He made up wonderful bedtime stories and many a tall tale, and in his later years, he spun out the songs and poems of his youth. He enjoyed a life-long association with The Forest Lake Club in Hawley, Pa.

Bill married Erlinda Cortes, a Philippine dramatic stage and film actress, in 1984. After several years in Saugerties, N.Y., they moved to Deland Fla., exploring back roads and the tributaries of the St. Johns River. In 2004, they moved up to Pennsylvania and then Vermont to be near family.

Before he retired from the cement industry in 1984, Bill began a “second career” as a marathon runner. He completed 21 marathons and many shorter races and held national records in his age division. He also competed in the National Seniors Olympics in tennis and running, and he traveled widely in the United States and in Europe to compete. Bill set age-group records across the country, and he was inducted into the USA Track and Field Masters Hall of Fame in 2002. Bill was named New York Athletic Club’s Athlete of the Year in 1986. In 1989, Bill raised $5,000 for a scholarship at Ulster County Community College by running 150 sponsored miles from Saugerties to Easton, Pa. At 80, he ran an age-group record of 4:28:01 in the National Masters Marathon Championships. Bill completed his marathon career in Minneapolis in 1994 at the age of 81.

Bill is survived by his children, Catherine Payne (Marvin Davis, dec.) of Saugerties. N.Y., Sarah Meyers (Jerry Meyers, dec.) of Norwich and Shelburne, Mary Gallaher (Stuart Gallaher) of Easton, Pa., and Bill, Jr. (Barbara Bunch) of New York City and Portland Ore., and by his stepdaughters, Minda Zetlin of Snohomish, Wash., and Sandra Hammett of the Philippines. In addition, he leaves six grandchildren, Sara Koresh and Christian Koch; Katherine Meyers; and William III, Catherine, and Jack Brobston; and ten great-grandchildren.

Bill was predeceased by his beloved wife Erlinda, an infant grandson, and two sons-in-law. At his request, there will be no services. The family would like to recognize the truly outstanding care Bill received at Valley Terrace, at the Residence at Shelburne Bay in Shelburne, and at Birchwood Terrace Rehab in Burlington, Vt.