William Hill Sigmon

In 1942 he graduated from Boyden High School in Salisbury. He entered the US Army in May, 1943 and served in the 20th Armored Division in an M-7 tank for a tour of duty in Europe. His division’s campaigns included the last phases of the Battle of the Bulge, a series of skirmishes from Bonn, Germany to the fall of the German Army at Munich. The 20th liberated the war prisoners at Dachau. He was discharged from service as a Corporal in March, 1946.

He entered the School of Architecture (later named the School of Design) at NC State College. Upon graduating with a degree in Architectural Design in 1951, he joined Olsen Associates Civil Engineers in Raleigh. Mr. Sigmon was instrumental in growing the firm to include architectural services and in 1968 became president of Olsen Associates, Engineers and Architects. In 1975 Olsen combined with The Piedmont Group of Greenville, SC, becoming Piedmont Olsen. After several more mergers, the firm subsequently became Arcadis. In 1994 Mr. Sigmon retired from Arcadis as the principal in charge of the NC operations.

During his career, Mr Sigmon was the principal architect for many significant projects including: the Wake County Courthouse; two phases of the Raleigh-Durham Airport terminal building; numerous schools for the Wake County Board of Education; the Albert Coates Local Government Center; branch banks for Wachovia Bank and Trust; DuPont Office and Laboratory additions in the Research Triangle Park; Glaxo Pharmaceutical; Novo Nordis Pharmaceutical; numerous projects at Cherry Point, Camp Lejeune and Fort Bragg; and many projects at UNC at Chapel Hill, NCSU, and UNC at Western Carolina University.

Mr. Sigmon was involved in many professional and social organizations including: American Institute of Architects; board member of NCAIA and president of the Raleigh chapter; board member and chairman of the Raleigh Civic Center Authority; board member of the NCSU Physical and Mathematical Science Foundation; board member of the Historic Oakwood Cemetery; member of NC Society of the Cincinnati; Carolina Country Club; Sphinx Club; and the NC Watercolor Society.

A lifelong Episcopalian, he served on the Christ Church Vestry for a total of nine years and was Senior Warden twice.

In his spare time, he enjoyed fly fishing, hunting, and golfing with his friends. He was an accomplished artist who leaves behind many beautiful watercolor paintings and pen and ink drawings. He also enjoyed cooking, with one of his specialities being peanut brittle.

Mr. Sigmon will be remembered for his kindness to all people, his delightful and endearing sense of humor, and his unfailing love and dedication to all his family.

He will be greatly missed by his wife of 59 years, Martha Anne Olsen and his three children: William Hill Sigmon, Jr. and his wife Mary Catherine Kennedy; Lauriston Hardin Sigmon and his wife Hannah Finch Taft; and his daughter Martha Anne Marsh Sigmon; and his four grandchildren: William Hill Sigmon, III; Thomas Marsh Sigmon; Mary Hannah Sigmon and Lucy Hardin Sigmon.

He was preceded in death by his older brother Ross Minish Sigmon, Jr. and is survived by his beloved sister Katherine Sigmon Hunter.

The family will receive friends on Friday, March 18, 2011 from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at 3617 Alamance Dr.

A funeral service will be held at Christ Episcopal Church, 120 East Edenton St. at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 19, 2011. A graveside service will follow at Oakwood Cemetery, 701 Oakwood Ave.

The family would like to thank Jarsette Denning and Marion Denning for their love and support.

It is Mr. Sigmon’s wish that, in lieu of flowers, memorials be made to Christ Episcopal Church, 120 East Edenton St., Raleigh, NC 27601 and/or to Historic Oakwood Cemetery, PO Box 26867, Raleigh, NC 27611.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, Saint Mary’s St. Raleigh.