WILLIAM E. "BILL" LIVINGSTON, age 77, longtime sports columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, beloved husband of 47 years to Marilyn (nee Kowalewski); loving father of Sondra Murnan (Carl), Julianne Thomas (Rick Minichino) and William C. (Abigail); much-loved Papa of Mitchell Thomas and Josephine Livingston; son of the late Ruby (nee Hicks) and Felix H. Livingston; cherished uncle, great uncle and dear friend of many. Proud graduate of Vanderbilt University. Passed away unexpectedly January 9, 2026. Relatives and friends are invited to meet for his Funeral Mass Tuesday, January 13, The Church of St. Clarence (30106 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted) at 10 A.M. and livestreamed at st-clarence.org. Interment private. Friends may call at CHAMBERS FUNERAL HOME of NORTH OLMSTED, 29150 LORAIN RD. AT STEARNS RD., MONDAY 4-7 P.M. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Cleveland Guardian Charities, Attn: Kim Haist, 2401 Ontario St., Cleveland, OH 44115 or online at CLEguardians.com

Bill was the sports columnist at the Cleveland Plain Dealer for 34 years and was nominated twice for the Pulitzer Prize. He is enshrined in the Cleveland Press Hall of Fame and the Vanderbilt Student Media Hall of Fame. He covered the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500, NCAA Final Four, all major college bowl games, all four golf major tournaments as well as five Summer and two Winter Olympics.

He authored four award winning books– Above and Beyond: Tim Mack, the Pole Vault, and the Quest for Olympic Gold; George Steinbrenner’s Pipe Dream: the ABL Champion Cleveland Pipers; The Great Book of Cleveland Sports Lists; and, the Promise of Lebron James: The Rise, Fall from Frame, and Redemption of Ohio’s Own. His final book, chronicling his life and improbable career as a sportswriter, is forthcoming.

He was proudly considered one of the best in the business at writing under deadline. Bill took his position as a newspaperman seriously and strove to inform the public and hold power accountable. He could also write a column comparing Lebron James to Julius Dr. “J” Erving in his sleep.

Bill’s life was an adventure. At the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway, he went down the Olympic bobsled run with a fellow sports columnist and two Olympians. They were subject to G forces equal to those NASA astronauts withstood at lift-off of the Space Shuttle.

He had many incredible and wonderful stories that he routinely told and it was rare, if ever, that he got through any of them without laughing uncontrollably.

Bill died knowing that Scut Farkus had it coming and that Dr. Strangelove was the greatest movie in history.

Bill often said, “I’ve had a great life.” He absolutely did.