Richard William Banks

Banks—Richard William Banks, 92, of Pennswood Village in Newtown, Pa., on February 29, 2016. Bill was born on April 9, 1923, in Philadelphia, Pa., to Catherine Skilling and Rudolph Banks. He attended Swarthmore High School and Haverford School and graduated from the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania in 1947. He studied law at Temple University and rose to a position of purchasing manager for Philadelphia Gas Works (then United Gas International). Serving on many civic and philanthropic boards and commissions, including Pennsylvania’s Little Hoover business reform commission, he was president of the Philadelphia chapter and national vice president of the Purchasing Managers Association (PMA) and a member of the Quaker City Farmers and the Skytop Club.

He also taught at Ursinus College, and as his mother before him, was a lifelong member of Swarthmore (Pa.) Meeting until he transferred his membership to Wrightstown Meeting in Newtown in 1994 when he moved to Pennswood Village. Late in life, he traveled and lived in many places, including Fripp Island, S.C.; John’s Island, Fla.; Pocono Pines, Pa.; Skytop, Pa.; Ocean Village, Fla.; and Little Deer Isle, Maine. He loved life, played tennis, refinished furniture, did woodworking, and traveled with his wife, Susie. He took great pride in having worked and saved his entire life to provide security to his family. To the end, he maintained a kind, generous spirit and an infectious sense of humor.

Bill’s first wife, Ruth Alexander Hipple, died before him. He is survived by his second wife, Suzanne Tomlinson Banks; two children, Boyd B. Banks and Alexander W. Banks; a daughter-in-law, Sheilagh Smith; and four grandchildren.