William Coffeen "Bill" Holton

Chapel Hill, NC – William Coffeen “Bill” Holton, age 94, died Wednesday, April 9, 2025, at UNC Hospice in Pittsboro. Born on July 24, 1930, in Washington, DC, he was the son of the late William Bultman Holton and Ester Coffeen Holton.

Bill called Chevy Chase, MD, his hometown. He graduated from UNC, Chapel Hill in 1952 with a BS in Physics and from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign in 1960 with a PhD in Physics.

Bill was employed by Texas Instruments (1960-1984) in Dallas, TX as Director of Research and Chief Technical Officer; then worked at Semiconductor Research Corporation (1984-1996) in Durham, NC as Vice President of Research Operations; then at North Carolina State University (1996-2006) as Research Professor; and then at UNC & NCSU (2003-2021) as Adjunct Professor.

Bill was awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Bush in 2005, the IEEE Frederick Philips Award in 1998, and the Shields National Champion sailing trophy, with Al Meril, in 1979.

Bill served in the Korean War from June 1952 until December 1954 as a (Lt jg) in the US Navy aboard the USS Palau, an aircraft carrier. He then served as the Research Officer and Duty Commander at the Naval Ordnance Laboratory in White Oak, MD.

Bill is survived by his wife of 71 years, Mary S. “Bitty” Holton; his son, William Andrew “Drew” Holton of Chapel Hill; and his daughters, Elizabeth Ashe “Buffy” Holton of Hampshire, TN, and Sarah Anne “Sally” Holton of Chapel Hill, and his sister, Ann Robertsen, of Minnetonka, MN.

The family wishes to send a special thank you to the doctors at UNC Healthcare and Hospice House and our home care team: Kathy Shumaker, Carleen Reinhart and Angie Floyd.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00 pm on Thursday, May 22, at University Presbyterian Church, 209 E. Franklin Street, Chapel Hill, NC, with Rev. Meg Perry McLaughlin officiating.

In lieu of flowers, donations are requested to the University Presbyterian Church Flower Fund.

The Holton family is under the care of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service. Online condolences: www.hallwynne.com – select obituaries.