Obituary: William Charles (Bill) Riegel

May 5, 1941 - October 15, 2026 

October 20, 2026 

William Charles (Bill) Riegel passed away on October 15, 2026, at 85 years old. Bill passed peacefully, surrounded by family in Greenville, South Carolina. Born in Newport, Vermont, Bill was one of nine children in a close-knit family.

William Charles (Bill) Riegel, 1941-2026

A lifelong educator, he rose from a Windsor math teacher to a highly decorated principal of Waterbury Elementary School and superintendent of the Washington West Supervisory Union. He was a visionary leader who helped to found The Children’s Room in 1984, helped open Crossett Brook Middle School, and coached youth sports.

He and his wife, Jackie, split their time in retirement between Fort Myers, Florida, and his beloved Glover camp. During retirement, Bill achieved the rank of Bridge Life Master, traveled to all 50 states, Australia, and New Zealand, and passionately cheered for Duke and the Red Sox. 

He was a master storyteller who loved his family, walking, and twilight creamee rides. 

He is survived by his devoted wife of 56 years, Jacqueline; his children, Melissa and David; grandchildren, Abigail and Thomas; great-granddaughter, Hunter; three sisters, Mary, Dee Dee and Nancy, and a large extended family.

A joint committal service for Bill and Jackie will be held in the future in Newport. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to organizations that were deeply meaningful to Bill and to which he made annual contributions: The Children’s Room resource center for families with young children in Waterbury, and Vermont Foundation of Recovery, a recovery housing organization founded by his children and led by his son. 

This posting is an excerpt from Bill’s full life story online with Fort Myers Memorial Gardens Funeral Home. Read more and share memories online here.