William Pattinson Freyd
William Pattinson Freyd
William “Bill” Freyd, 87, a longtime resident of Henderson and Las Vegas, Nev., and a part-time resident of Bemus Point, N.Y., passed away Aug. 20, 2020, in Las Vegas, Nev., after a long battle with Parkinson’s.
Bill was born in 1933 in Chicago, Ill., to Pauline Pattinson Freyd and Paul Freyd. He grew up in Rhode Island and New York City. He is a 1960 graduate of Georgetown University School of Foreign Service.
Bill is survived by his wife of 36 years, Diane Carlson; a stepdaughter, Stephanie Carlson, PhD; nieces, Jennifer Freyd, PhD, and Gwen Freyd, PhD; six grandchildren; and four great-nieces and-nephews.
Bill was the quintessential entrepreneur with an amazing business acumen. He founded IDC, LLC in 1974 in Glenridge, N.J., growing it into one of the largest fundraising consulting firms in the country. Further, he was chairman emeritus of Catapult Fundraising Inc. until 2020.
In 2007, Bill partnered with Robert Sterling to found SFS Entertainment in Las Vegas. They produced 12 Broadway shows in Las Vegas including “A Chorus Line,” “Cabaret,” “Annie,” “Annie Get Your Gun,” and “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas.” Bill had done acting in New York as a young man. Later his acting debut in LasVegas was as Captain Brackett in “South Pacific.” He was proud to be a member of Screen Actors Guild. He appeared in “What Happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas” commercials.
He had a lifetime love of classical music. He was a past chair of the Las Vegas Philharmonic board. He enjoyed the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra. He was a member of New York Yacht Club, the Union League Club of New York, the Players Club New York, and Community Lutheran Church, Las Vegas.
Due to COVID, services will be held at a later date.
Memorial contributions may be sent to YMCA Camp Onyahsa, 101 E. Fourth St, Jamestown, NY 14701, or www.onyahsa. org.