William 'Bill' Solvason

Solvason, William "Bill" 74, died Thursday, January 19th, 2017 at the Austin Hospice Christopher House in Austin, Texas following a brief illness. Survived by his sister Stephanie (Clayton) Reed, his niece and nephews, Stephanie Reed, Travis Reed, and Jeff Reed; grandnieces and grandnephews, and many friends. He is preceded in death by his father, Dr. Harold Solvason; his mother, Dorothy (Sawatzky) Solvason; and his brother, Jeff Solvason. An avid reader, chess player and wargamer, a follower of politics and policy, a foodie and wine connoisseur, a jester, a loving brother, son, and uncle, Bill was one of a kind. All who knew Bill would describe him as incredibly intelligent. There were few topics on which Bill did not have a refined viewpoint and he loved sharing his analysis. Many felt Bill would have made a great "phone a friend," save for his propensity to add tangent after tangent, while simultaneously weaving in amusing anecdotes. Born and raised in Minneapolis, MN, Bill attended St. Thomas Academy and later the University of Minnesota ('64). Post-graduate, Bill earned his MBA and a Masters in History from the University of Minnesota. Bill later attended the Sorbonne in Paris, where he cultivated his world-class palate for food and wine. His analytic mind and knowledge of wine led to his employment at Heinz, bringing him to Pittsburgh where he researched the growing domestic wine market. In 1984, Bill started Systems of Market Research doing market surveys and analysis. A private Memorial service will be held in Crosslake, MN.

Published on May 28, 2017