William Terence Quinlan

William (Bill) Terence Quinlan, age 65, of Toledo, Ohio, passed away peacefully at Hospice of Northwest Ohio in Toledo on October 15, 2023, after a valiant battle against esophageal cancer. Born May 26, 1958 in San Francisco, California. Bill was preceded in death by his adoptive parents Gerald Frances and Mercedes Inez (Duffy) Quinlan. His biological mother was Katherine Sanders. He attended St. Brendan's Grammar School and St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Fransisco. He graduated from Santa Clara University in 1980 with a bachelor's degree in Theatre Arts.

Bill is survived by his wife, the true love of his life and partner for the past 11 years, Kathryn (Kate) Quinlan; and his children whom he loved, son Conor, daughters Bridget and Erin, stepson Andrew, and stepdaughters Dawn and Natalie. He is also survived by his sibling Robert (Bernadette) Quinlan and niece Rin of California, as well as many aunts, uncles, and countless cousins who he loved very much.

Bill was a devoted thespian with over 200 acting credits and nearly 100 directing assignments on his resume between the Bay Area and New York, where he lived for 10 years. Before moving to Toledo, Bill was a member of Actor's Equity Association (AEA), the Director's Guild, and the Playwright's Guild. Some of his favorite roles were as Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, and Harold Hill in The Music Man in California, Sweeney in Sweeney Todd in New York, and recently, as Miss Tracy Mills in The Legend of Georgia McBride at Toledo Repertoire Theatre. As a director, he had great success with Spamalot and Shrek at Oregon Community Theatre and Chess with Toledo Repertoire Theatre. He had the opportunity to work in Toledo for the better part of the past 20 years in various capacities, and even founded the short-lived Harvest Theatre Company.

Bill performed in numerous shows in New York and was able to work with some great talent. Bill would like to be remembered as the character inspiration for the Saturday Night Live skit featuring Rob Schneider as "The Copy Boy" which came out of Rob and Bill's conversations when they both were working at San Jose Repertory Theatre on a cabaret show called Up The YUP a distant memory ago.

Bill was also a playwright with credits in both New York and San Francisco. Bill also wrote for two years with The Toledo City Paper and sheds his mortal coil with a few unfinished manuscripts and one screenplay that he was in the process of turning into a novel.

While theater was his true talent, Bill's passion extended to his love of music and sports. Bill attended hundreds of live concerts, was an avid curator of recorded music, and enjoyed regular visits to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Some of his favorite artists included the Grateful Dead, Bruce Springsteen, and Neil Young. Bill was also a lifelong fan of the San Fransisco Giants, the Golden State Warriors, the San Fransisco 49ers, and had season tickets to the Toledo Walleye and Mud Hens.

Bill was immensely grateful for the unwavering support of friends and family who gave him the strength to persevere through their encouraging words posted in response to his brave documentation of his cancer battle, The Cancer Chronicles. Bill expressed that for those who traveled with him on his life's journey, they made his life a wonderful learning experience on a daily basis, and he had no regrets. Bill and his family are most grateful for the excellent medical teams at The Toledo Clinic, The Toledo Cancer Center, Karmanos Cancer Institute, The Cleveland Clinic, as well as for the compassionate care he received from Ohioans Home Healthcare during his treatments and the hospice personnel in his final days at Hospice of Northwest Ohio.

A visitation will be held from 4:00 PM until 8:00 PM on Friday, October 27, 2023, at Newcomer Funeral Home - Southwest Chapel, 4752 Heatherdowns Blvd. Toledo, OH 43614. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Hyacinth Catholic Church, 719 Evesham Ave, Toledo, on Saturday, October 28, 2023, at 9:00 AM with a private internment to follow at Resurrection Cemetery.

Those wishing to donate in Bill's memory are asked to consider Hospice of Northwest Ohio or Owsley Stanley Foundation .

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