William M. Woessner of Great Falls VA, former U.S. diplomat and former President of Youth for Understanding, died on January 3, 2016 at the age of 84.

Born into humble circumstances as the son of a NY firefighter, William quickly demonstrated a keen intellect and appreciation for the fine arts that would carry him far in life. He attended Queens College before earning a Fulbright scholarship to the University of Glasgow where he met his future wife and love of his life, Sheila A. McLellan.

William's first career was marked by 30 years of service to his country. As a Foreign Service officer during the cold war, William served in the thick of things with posts in Vienna, Austria; Warsaw, Poland; Berlin, Germany; London, UK; and Bonn Germany. The joke in the family was that Dad took care of the Soviets and Mom took care of everything else. Which among other things included raising five children.

After retiring from the Foreign Service, William continued his personal mission of fostering inter-cultural understanding as President of a global high school student exchange organization, Youth for Understanding. William always had a great love of the arts, in particular Opera, and he and Sheila used to make their home available to young opera singers who were in town for the Wolf Trap Opera season. These artists subsequently became part of the family, staying in touch with Bill and Sheila over the years as they pursued their careers.

William Woessner was an extraordinary man who lived a full and joyous life. William will be missed by his lovely wife Sheila, his children; Stephan, Bill, Elizabeth, Andrew and Kathleen, his grandchildren; Erik, Jacob, Iain, Theresa, Emily, Jessica, Aaron, Emma, Jason and Hannah, his brother Richard, and his many friends, all of whom loved him dearly.