In loving memory of
William P. Vititoe
September 19, 1938 - March 2, 2023
William P. Vititoe passed away on March 2, 2023 at the age of 84.
He is survived by his wife, Sue Vititoe, and his daughters Stephanie Kornblum & Laura MacNeil.
William Vititoe, who led some of the largest utilities in the U.S. (including Michigan Bell and American Natural Resources Pipeline in Detroit; multistate phone company Ameritech in Chicago; and Washington Energy in Seattle) through periods of tumultuous deregulation, and guided others as a longtime public company board member, died Mar. 2 in Detroit. He was 84.
Mr. Vititoe, a former Indiana Bell lineman and supervisor, rose for two decades at Bell Company and AT&T roles across the Midwest and New York to become CFO and later President & CEO of the Michigan Bell Telephone Company.
Thereafter he was named President of Ameritech Enterprise Group, one of the seven Regional Bell Operating Companies that was created following the breakup of the Bell System. At Ameritech, Mr. Vititoe was responsible for delivering telephone services across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
In 1990, Mr. Vititoe became CEO at American Natural Resources (ANR) Pipeline in Detroit, operating one of the largest interstate natural gas pipelines systems in the U.S.
Mr. Vititoe moved to Seattle in 1994 to join as CEO and Chairman at Washington Energy until its acquisition by Puget Sound Power & Light, creating the current Puget Sound Energy.
More recently Mr. Vititoe served on the Board of Directors of Cabot Oil & Gas, Amerisure (24 years), Comerica Bank, and the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which manages electricity infrastructure across 15 U.S. states and the Canadian province of Manitoba.
William Paul Vititoe was born on September 19, 1938, in Evansville, Ind., the son of Paul Revere and Mariam Elizabeth Vititoe. He attended Rockport High School, where he was a star basketball player.
He earned a degree in Business from Indiana University in 1960 where he joined the Sigma Chi Fraternity, and later awarded as a Significant Sig. Thereafter he served in the U.S. Army with an artillery battalion at Fort Sill, Okla. before joining Indiana Bell.
Mr. Vititoe passionately supported community, civic and charitable missions where his family resided, including service as a Board Member of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, a Trustee at Interlochen Center for the Arts near Traverse City, Mich., and longtime champion of the Seattle Aquarium and the Marshall M. Fredericks Sculpture Museum at Saginaw Valley State University.
A Celebration of Life will take place on May 6th at 2pm at The Grosse Pointe Memorial Church, 16 Lake Shore Rd, Grosse Pointe Farms. Reception following at the Grosse Pointe Club.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in Bill's name to the Ascension St. John Foundation or the Seattle Aquarium.