William G. Post of Naples, Fla., formerly of Stowe, Vt., died at The Arbors in Shelburne, Vt. on March 26 surrounded by his children and grandchildren. He was 91.

Bill loved the Vineyard. He visited Edgartown almost every year of his life, first with his grandmother, Emily Post, and in subsequent years with his wife, children and their spouses and grandchildren.

Bill was born on July 4, 1921, in New York city. He attended St. Paul’s School and MIT, from which he graduated in 1942. He spent the World War II years in the special devices division of the Navy, designing technical equipment for various classes of Navy ships. Bill married Elizabeth Lindley, the love of his life, in August 1944. Bill and Libby shared a wonderful 66 years of marriage, during which they raised four children and managed to carve out special lives for themselves in a variety of places including Bogota, Colombia, Edgartown, Rye, N.Y., Stowe, Vt., Marathon, Fla., and finally Bentley Village in Naples, Fla. After Libby’s death in 2010, Bill remained in Naples until February of this year, when he moved to The Arbors in Shelburne. 

Everywhere they went, Bill and Libby attracted people who shared their love of golf, fishing, travel, entertaining and joyous living. They made lifelong, warm friends in each place. While in Rye during the 1950s until 1974, with his partner Dick Maulsby, Bill founded and ran the Hobbs Equipment Company, a successful truck equipment business. Together with Libby, Bill managed The Emily Post Institute from the time of the death of his grandmother, Emily Post, in 1960, until 1995.

He was an avid golfer, an expert fisherman, a skillful and talented woodworker and a lifelong pilot who flew his Luscombe airplane around the United States at the age of 19, when flying was still in its infancy and something of a novelty. He was a perfectionist whose motto was if something is worth doing, it’s worth doing right. Bill was a wise, kind, thoughtful and extremely considerate person, who set a wonderful example for his children and grandchildren, a man who was admired and loved by everyone who knew him — a true gentleman. He was always at the ready with an aphorism of one kind or another, either in English or Spanish, always to make a point or teach a lesson. One of his favorites: “I felt sorry for myself because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.” He will be greatly missed by all of us.

Bill is survived by his four children, Allen Post and wife Peggy, Bill Post Jr. and wife Maureen, Cindy Senning and husband John, and Peter Post and wife Tricia; by his grandchildren Casey Post and wife Sarah, Jeep Post and wife Jessica and their son Carter, Peter T. Post and his son Alexander, Jill Ravey, Dan Senning, Will Senning and wife Susan, Anna Post; and friends Matt Bushlow and Lizzie Post. Bill was predeceased by his wife, Libby, in 2010, and by his grandson Paul in 1987.

A memorial service will be held later in the spring.