Longtime McLean resident, attorney and civic activist William J. Byrnes, who died April 14 at age 84, cared deeply about the community, his friends said.
“I remember him as a very thoughtful man who listened to all viewpoints,” said Jane Edmondson, chief of staff for former Dranesville District Supervisor John Foust (D), who got to know Byrnes when she was president of the Lewinsville Coalition.
“He was deeply concerned about McLean, and by his volunteer activities, he demonstrated that he was willing to devote himself to making McLean a better community for everyone,” Edmondson said.
Byrnes was the ultimate civic activist – “erudite, thorough, diplomatic and above all, loquacious,” said McLean Citizens Association (MCA) member Merrily Pierce. “As MCA vice president, I used to time his president’s reports at monthly MCA board meetings that often ticked past the half- and then three-quarters hour [marks], signaling him it was time to wrap up. But he always had more details to add.”
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., on April 11, 1940, Byrnes graduated from Regis High School in New York City in 1957, studied physics at Fordham University and earned a law degree from Yale Law School in 1964.
Byrnes kicked off his career as an attorney for the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, where he reviewed regulatory decisions. As a communications lawyer, Byrnes advocated for a fully competitive telephone industry, his family wrote.
Byrnes also worked in international affairs for Comsat and INTELSAT.
In 1995, Byrnes, who was the Democratic nominee, lost a bid for Dranesville District supervisor to Republican Stuart Mendelsohn.
Byrnes was active in civic affairs, serving as president of MCA and the McLean Community Foundation and on the boards of the McLean Community Center, McLean Community Players and McLean Orchestra.
Community theater was one of Byrnes’ passions. Working with a variety of local theater companies, he took to the stage as Drummond in “Inherit the Wind,” Saunders in “Lend Me a Tenor,” David in “Hay Fever,” Andy in “Love Letters,” Sagot in “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” Victor in “Barefoot in the Park,” Creon in “Medea,” Potter in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” Van Helsing in “Dracula,” Brigadier Hansbury in “Freedom of the City,” Stanek in “Protest,” Leonato in “Much Ado About Nothing” and Weismann in “Follies.”
His detail-oriented nature, so evident in his legal and civic work, also made him a good actor, Pierce said.
“He always knew the issues and he knew his lines,” she said.
“Bill loved acting,” agreed author and historian Carole Herrick, who became acquainted with Byrnes through the MCA and other McLean community groups. “I enjoyed attending various theatrical events and watching him perform. He was a terrific person. I shall miss him. The community has lost an outstanding leader.”
As a longtime civic leader, Byrnes contributed much to make the community a better place for all, said former Supervisor Foust.
“He always had a very positive attitude and I always enjoyed time spent with him,” Foust said.
Byrnes and his late wife, Catherine, adopted their twin daughters, Jennifer and Suzanne, from Korea.
Byrnes was predeceased by his parents, William and Margaret, and is survived by daughters Jennifer and Suzanne and sisters Peggy and Alice.
The family will hold a visitation April 18 from 4 to 6 p.m. on at Money & King Funeral Home, 171 Maple Ave., W., in Vienna. Graveside services will be held April 19 from 10 to 11 a.m. at Fairfax Memorial Park, 9902 Braddock Road in Fairfax.
Donations in Byrnes’ memory may be made to Regis High School, 55 E. 84th St., New York, NY 10028 or via regis.org/give.
