William Francis Zavatkay, Jr.

William Francis “Bill” Zavatkay, Jr.

Bill Zavatkay of Atlanta, GA passed away on December 8, 2021 in Atlanta, with his devoted wife by his side. Bill was born on April 24, 1963 to William F. Zavatkay, Sr. and the late Barbara Marie (Campbell) Zavatkay in Manchester, CT. Bill spent his early years in Manchester and Glastonbury, CT before the family moved to Stuart, FL.

Bill earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of South Florida. He then attained his professional engineering license (PE). He worked at Kennedy Space Center, and then in Greenville, South Carolina and Tampa, Florida. He settled in Atlanta and began a long career with HDR, serving as Mechanical Engineering Section Manager at the time of his death.

On Bill’s 40th birthday, he met the love of his life, Dana Trahant. Bill and Dana married in June 2009 and their love story continued to grow. They lived a full life and enjoyed so many things together including traveling, running, great meals and wine, and spending time with family and friends. They especially enjoyed relaxing at the Zavatkay lake house in Blairsville, GA on Lake Nottely, where they would boat, paddleboard, and spend time in front of the firepit by the lake.

Bill was preceded in death by his mother, Barbara Marie Zavatkay; he is survived by his beloved wife, Dana Trahant Zavatkay, Ph. D. of Atlanta; his father, William F. Zavatkay, Sr. of Cocoa Beach, FL; Parents-in-law, David and Lucille Trahant of Metairie, LA; Sisters, Laura Zavatkay (John Mueller) of Tampa, FL, Linda Bunting (Rick) of Cocoa Beach, FL, Diane McGinn (Matthew) of Hobe Sound, FL, and Kathleen Dennis (Patrick, M.D.) of New Orleans, LA; Brothers-in-law, David Trahant, Jr. and (Rivers) of New Orleans, LA, and Tyler Trahant (Meghan) of Fort Worth, TX; and a host of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. He is also survived by his sweet dog, Nottely.

A memorial service was held on Wednesday, December 15th at The Church of Our Savior, 1068 N. Highland Ave., Atlanta, GA 30306. A celebration of life followed at Bill and Dana’s favorite watering hole, Moe’s and Joe’s. A small family memorial service will be held at a later date.  In lieu of flowers, donations to the Alzheimer’s Association https://www.alz.org or the Association for Science in Autism Treatment https://asatonline.org are appreciated.