MAPOTHER, WILLIAM R., a third-generation Louisville attorney of the
firm Mapother & Mapother and a nationally-renowned speaker, passed away Thursday, June 22, 2006, at Deaconess Hospital
in Evansville, IN. He was en route to his home in Kentucky after an Alaskan cruise with his fiancée, family, friends, and
business associates. He was 68.
The cause was complications due to pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer.
Mr. Mapother was a bankruptcy consultant, who for over 30 years, and
in all 50 states, taught seminars for banks, credit unions, and lenders. He was a recipient of the prestigious Certified Speaking
Professional designation of the National Speakers Association, and he was well known for his clear, enthusiastic, and entertaining
style of public speaking. He is the author of 13 books on bankruptcy and, since 1985, was a regular columnist for Credit Union
Magazine.
Mr. Mapother was the Kentucky Credit Union League attorney for over
three decades and the West Virginia Credit Union League attorney for over one decade. He was admitted to practice before the
U.S. Supreme Court and was also a member of the Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, and West Virginia Bar Associations.
At age 28, Mr. Mapother became the youngest person to serve as a Jefferson
County Juvenile Court Judge, a position he held from 1967-70.
He was a member of the Edward Frederick Sorin Society of the University
of Notre Dame, and he served 21 years of volunteer service to ACCEPT Consumer Credit Counseling Program. In the early 1970's,
he was President of the Louisville Chapter of Planned Parenthood. He was a member of the Pendennis Club.
Mr. Mapother is a graduate of St. Xavier High School, the University
of Notre Dame with honors, and the University of Virginia Law School.
He was preceded in death by his father, Thomas Cruise Mapother Jr.;
his mother, Catherine Reibert Mapother; and his brother, Thomas Cruise Mapother III.
He is survived by one son, William Reibert Mapother Jr.; two daughters,
Katherine Grigsby Mapother and Amy Cruise Mapother; and his fiancée, Valerie Brown.
The funeral will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, June 26, 2006, at St. Leonard
Catholic Church, 440 Zorn Avenue. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be from noon -5 p.m. and 7-9 p.m.
on Sunday at Ratterman Funeral Home, 3711 Lexington Road.
Additional Links:
Kentucky Law obituary
Bowling Green Daily News obituary (6/26/06)
Michigan Credit Union League obituary (7/03/06)
WKBO obituary