William F. “Bill” Courtney, 89, of Punta Gorda, Fla., passed away Friday, Feb. 1, 2013.

He was born June 21, 1923, in Little Falls, N.Y., to William and Catherine Courtney.

Bill attended Bowling Green University in Ohio, where he had enjoyed being on the basketball team. Bill also attended the University of Geneva, and received his Master’s degree from the London School of Economics. He served as a Foreign Service officer until 1980, and his posts included Gabon, Cameroon and Nigeria. Bill was the Deputy Chief of Mission in Gabon in 1964, during a coup in which the American embassy was bombed. He was an avid golfer and worked with the Ganonese government to build a golf course when they did not have one. Bill’s final position was as U.S. Consul General in Bombay, now Mumbai, India. He retired to Punta Gorda in 1981. Bill’s first wife, Mary Parkhouse, was born in England, and he met her while she was working for the UN in Geneva; she passed away in 1985. In 1988, he married Marion Davies, and they enjoyed traveling to India, Europe and Egypt together.

Bill is survived by his wife, Marion Courtney of Punta Gorda; daughter, Catherine (Frank Morales) Courtney of San Francisco; stepchildren, Laraine (Jim) Lawrence and Scott (Janice Aurini) Davies, both of Canada; and grandchildren, Michael, Cole, Zachary, Tatyana, Elise and Rowan. He was preceded in death by his first wife, Mary; and their daughter, Anne Elizabeth Courtney, who passed away in 1993.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. Please visit www.kays-ponger.com to leave the family condolences, and to sign the online guestbook.

Arrangements are by Kays-Ponger & Uselton Funeral Homes and Cremation Services.