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William James Tate III, MD of Princeton, New Jersey, died peacefully on May 31 after a short battle with cancer. He was a beloved husband, wonderful father and grandfather, and a gentle healer.

Bill was born on Oct. 22, 1932, in Hartford. He was the son of Dr. William James Tate, Jr., and Regina Wahl Tate. Bill grew up in Deep River where he developed a lifelong love of sailing. He went to The Gunnery for high school and then on to Yale, where he earned a degree in art history in 1954. Following graduation he spent two years in the Army where he was stationed in Stuttgart, Germany. After his stint in the Army, Bill decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a doctor. He graduated from Boston University School of Medicine in 1961 and did his internship and residency at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

Bill married Constance Klein in 1964 and they moved to Princeton, New Jersey in 1969 and Bill began what was to be a 32-year career at Princeton Medical Group. After a successful and fulfilling career as a physician, Bill embarked on an equally rewarding career in retirement. Bill’s love of boats, which began as a young boy growing up in Deep River, never dimmed. He named his first sailboat Nepenthe, which is a drug described in Homer’s Odyssey as one which banishes grief or trouble from a person’s mind. He then spent a decade spending weekends in Deep River where he rebuilt and restored a 28-foot wooden sailboat named Welcome.

Bill is survived by his wife Connie; his sister Regina Tate of Deep River; his son Bill and his wife Anne Christine Tate of Ewing, New Jersey; daughter Abigail and her husband Spencer Reynolds, Jr., of Princeton, New Jersey; his daughter Sarah and her husband Ian Constable, also of Ewing, New Jersey. Bill was predeceased by his sister Emily Tate Rudolph. A memorial service and celebration of his life will take place at a later date.