Eight Bells: Bill Waite

Bill Waite, native San Diegan, Coast Guard veteran, and employee benefits insurance agent, was one of San Diego’s bon vivants. He was a competitive sailor, food and wine connoisseur, world traveler, and member of numerous nonprofits boards. He died June 17 at age 82 after months of coping with throat cancer.

Waite was a long-time member of the San Diego Yacht Club, where he sailed Cal 20s in his youth, volunteered in America’s Cup regattas in the 1980s and established a sailing scholarship through the San Diego Foundation for high school seniors. A lifetime bachelor until recently, Bill’s car license plate read, “YWAITE,” and his many lady companions and buddies would needle him as “one-date Waite.”

At the age of 60, he met the woman who would become his wife, Patricia Kramer. “Bill truly loved people, he loved to travel and there were few places left on his bucket list,” Kramer said. “Bill and I traveled through Europe many times, always spending at least a week in Paris. We took long driving trips in the UK from one side to the other and along the Dalmatian Coast (on the Adriatic Sea) and around the U.S.” He was an only child but “he claimed many friends as his brothers,” she said.

William Averill Waite was born April 28, 1942, at Mercy Hospital to William, Sr. and Betty Waite. His father came to San Diego in the mid-1930s. The family settled in Point Loma and Waite graduated from Point Loma High School in 1960. He studied civil engineering and marketing and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in 1964 at what is today, San Diego State University.

In the 1980s he became active in Dennis Conner’s campaigns to win back the America’s Cup and served as hospitality director for four months in the 1986-87 campaign in Perth, Australia. Back in San Diego, Waite frequently showed up in Burl Stiff’s Union Tribune social columns. He built a wine cellar for 1,000 bottles in his Point Loma home, which was featured in a Union Homes section feature in 1986.

“The years of 1982 and 1983 were the best since 1961 in French wines and the prices were down, so I loaded up on them,” he told reporter Frank Macomber. Among Waite’s many charitable interests were the ARC foundation for disabled persons, the San Diego Center for Children, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Vista Hill Foundation, and the San Diego Yacht Club Sailing Foundation.

Waite is survived by his wife, Patricia Kramer, and her children, Stephanie (Stan) Sgambelluri; Andrea (Jeff) Bustos, granddaughter Tori Bustos; his cousin Rob Pennell (Funda) Sibbie Perry and Rob’s family, Kai and Mia Pennell.A celebration of life is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. Sunday, August 11 at All Souls Episcopal Church. 1475 Catalina Blvd. San Diego, CA. 92106. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Bill Waite Endowment (Fund 5241) at the San Diego Foundation, https://www.sdfoundation.org/students/common-scholarship-application/.