Remembering R. William "Bill" Ide III

R. William Ide III Obituary

Published by Legacy Remembers on Jul. 11, 2025.

Roy William ("Bill") Ide III passed peacefully surrounded by family on July 8, 2025, after living every day of his 85 years to the fullest. He was a towering figure in the legal community and a fierce advocate for civil rights, a fair and just legal system, and the rule of law. He will be remembered for his unwavering love and commitment to his family and friends, believing in them through every hurdle of life.

Bill was born in Chicago on April 23, 1940, to Jenny Coleman Ide and Roy William Ide, Jr. and spent his childhood in Carbondale, IL with beloved big sisters Claire and Libby and a cantankerous pony named Dan.

Bill was an Eagle Scout and often regaled his children and grandkids about taking the train from Illinois - alone at age 12- to attend the Boy Scout Jamboree at the Irvine Ranch in California. 

After attending Darlington School in Rome, GA, Bill went on to Washington & Lee University where he was the president of Fancy Dress and played varsity basketball with his Kappa Alpha little brother Brett Thackston, who remained Bill's best friend for the next 66 years.

Bill's grandmother believed that he also studied at the Sorbonne in Paris – because she had paid his tuition. But in actuality, he cashed out his school fees and bought a Vespa to tour Europe with his lifelong friend, Ed Sims, whom he met on the ship to France. After a slow start academically – his mother teasingly called him "C Average Ide" - Bill decided that he was not cut out to be an engineer, switched his major to history, and graduated cum laude in 1962.

At age 23, Bill began law school at the University of Virginia, following in the footsteps of his great-great-grandfather, a former law partner of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, IL. While at school, Bill joined the board of editors of the Virginia Law Review and was inducted into the Order of the Coif. Working a summer job in New York City, Bill's life changed forever when he met Gayle Marie Oliver. Though she was dating someone at the time, Bill was knocked off  his feet and moved swiftly to win her heart.

After earning his J.D. from the University of Virginia in 1965, Bill began his legal career clerking for the Hon. Griffin Bell on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. He would later tell his grandchildren that witnessing the legal dismantling of segregation in the South was one of the most formative experiences of his life. Bill deeply admired the civil rights attorneys who appeared before the court, arguing for the desegregation of schools, police departments, and public institutions across Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Inspired by the historic transformations taking place in the courtroom, Bill left the Fifth Circuit with a clear understanding of the law as a sacred tool and protector of constitutional rights.

Following his service in the Air National Guard, Bill and Gayle were married in Atlanta in 1967. They quickly welcomed Logan, then Jennifer, with little sister Lucie joining a few years later. Bill joined King & Spalding as the firm's 37th lawyer and began attending night school at Georgia State University to earn his MBA. With his law school classmate Phil Heiner and other young attorneys, Bill co-founded Georgia Legal Services in his early 30s. Gayle by his side, he left the security of King & Spalding to join the small firm of Huie & Harland, which  represented the transit planning authority that would eventually become MARTA.

In his work on the MARTA referendum and creation of the transit system, Bill became dear friends with the leaders of Black Atlanta, including Mayors Andrew Young and Maynard Jackson. Bill was one of the few white lawyers to support Andy Young in his congressional race and worked on Young's and Jackson's mayoral campaigns. He then worked to help elect Jimmy Carter as Governor and later President. These civic-minded friends early in his legal career continued to reinforce his appreciation for the fundamental fairness of civil rights and the importance of a just society.

Bill then founded his own firm – Huie, Brown & Ide – where he built a talented team of lawyers that included women and people of color – one of the few Atlanta firms doing so at the time. The young lawyers he mentored at HBI became lifelong friends.

Bill eventually made his way to Kutak Rock and then Long Aldridge (Dentons) where he spent the bulk of his career. While juggling his busy legal practice, Bill remained deeply committed to the Atlanta and legal communities. He served as President of the American Bar Association from 1993-1994, speaking across 40 states and 11 countries. Bill's ABA friends are too numerous to name, but the "Mafia" and extended ABA circle became part of the Ide family; meetings doubled as family vacations and opportunities to spend time with ABA "aunts" and "uncles." He traveled the former Soviet Union with Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, working with her to establish the rule of law in emerging democracies. He was a founding board member of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games, then served as counsel to the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Chairman of the ABA's Rule of Law Initiative, General Counsel and Chair of the Executive Committee of the EastWest Institute, General Counsel of Monsanto, and a member of the board of directors of Albemarle Corporation and Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, Inc. Bill also served as a senior fellow and co-founder of Emory University's Directors Institute, a Trustee of the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, and on the Board of Trustees for Clark Atlanta University.  None of these opportunities would have been possible without Gayle's endless support. Perhaps Bill's proudest professional accomplishment came in the past few years with the creation of the American Bar Association Task Force for American Democracy. This group of nonpartisan legal, business, and civic leaders is mobilizing lawyers around the country to rise and honor their obligation to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States and the rule of law.

The only two things Bill loved more than the law were sports and his family and friends. Bill ran the Peachtree Road Race for decades, skied both on water and snow into his 70s, built great friendships playing racquet sports at the Piedmont Driving Club, and began playing competitive basketball again from ages 60-82 when he was invited to play in the Senior Games. It was always "a little bit of heaven" and "another day in paradise" when sitting on the ski chair lift with Bill. He shared his love for an active lifestyle with his family, putting together laughter-filled games such as "watermelon rugby" at the lake or fierce games of knockout on the basketball court.

Bill adored Gayle and his daughters Lucie and Jennifer and son Logan, his sons-in-law Humberto García-Sjögrim  and Matt Reynolds, his daughter-in-law Cameron Wilson, and his 11 adoring grandchildren, Lindie, Ivy, Lucie, Chanel, Isabel, Wilson, Diego, Madeline, Oscar, Evelyn, and Leo, nicknamed "The Grands." His sister- and brother-in-law Julie and Paul Freudenstein, as well as brother-in-law John Steinmetz, were lifetime friends. Through their journeys around the world, Bill instilled in his family a love of discovery. At home in Atlanta, every weekend was spent on the side of a soccer field, basketball court, swimming pool, or lacrosse field as his grandkids' loudest cheerleader and most dedicated coach. They will miss him deeply.

After losing his adored wife of 54 years, Bill was lucky enough to find a soulmate again in Lucy Vance with whom he shared his last three and a half years and his passions for sports, community service, and the protection of democracy. Through Lucy, he gained three more children – Alec, William, and Carolyn and their spouses Nicole and Christy – and five more grandchildren – Grace, Will, Josh, Ellie and Hannah, whom he loved dearly.

Bill's passing leaves a gaping hole in our hearts and lives, but his legacy lives on through the boundless energy he put forth into the world. In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to support Bill's legacy through a donation to the Task Force for American Democracy.

A celebration of life will be held on Thursday, September 11, 4 pm, at the Atlanta History Center, with a reception to follow. If you would like to share a photo or a memory with the Ide family, or in the event you cannot make the celebration in person and would like livestream information, please email idefamilyphotos@gmail.com. Ide III, R. William "Bill."