William B. Conway, who spent his summers in West Chop, died on Monday evening, Dec. 14 at a hospital in New Orleans, his home city. He was 84. The cause was congestive heart failure.

Mr. Conway was a partner at Modjeski and Masters, a national engineering firm, from 1969 until his retirement in 2007, having served as CEO since the firm incorporated in 1992 through 2004. His career included many notable milestones and accomplishments, particularly in long-span bridge design. He was the principal-in-charge for eight award-winning Mississippi River crossing projects, including the Greater New Orleans #2 Bridge, which was the second longest cantilever span in the United States. Mr. Conway received many engineering awards, including the Louisiana Lifetime Achievement Award and the prestigious John A. Roebling Medal for lifetime achievement in bridge engineering.

Mr. Conway was active in various New Orleans charities. He served as chairman of the board of Trinity Episcopal School, which all seven of his children attended, from 1978 to 1980 and as treasurer of the vestry for many years at Trinity Church. Mr. Conway also served until recently as a trustee of the West Chop Club in Vineyard Haven, where he spent many summers with his extended family, dear friends and his beloved boat of many decades, the Blue Jay.

William B. Conway was born in Southampton, N.Y. on Jan. 15, 1931. He was the son of Edmund V. Conway Jr. and the former Dorothy Brandes, both originally from St. Louis, Mo. and ultimately Montauk, N.Y.

Mr. Conway graduated in 1952 from Dartmouth College, where he was known as Bing for his resemblance to the famous singer Bing Crosby. He received a Master of Science in civil engineering from the Thayer School of Engineering in 1954 and then joined the faculty for an additional year. In 1955, he met his future wife, Florance (Bonnie) Scott on the slopes of Stowe, Vt. and they were married in 1956. After serving as a Seabee in the U.S. Navy at Quonset Point, R.I. for two years, Mr. Conway joined Modjeski and Masters in 1957 in Harrisburg, Pa. He moved with his young family to New Orleans in 1961, fell in love with the city and made it his home.  

Mr. Conway was recently predeceased by his brother E. Virgil Conway and is survived by his wife, Bonnie, and seven children who adored him: William B. Conway Jr. of Potomac, Md., Robert S. Conway of Edina, Minn., Peter J. Conway of Charlotte, N.C., Edward B. Conway of Darien, Conn., Elizabeth C. Crawford of New Orleans, Laura C. Williams of New Orleans and Eleanor C. Edwards of Darien, Conn. Mr. Conway also had 19 grandchildren, who affectionately referred to their beloved grandfather as Big.