K. William Kolbe, 80, Was Edgartown Visitor

K. William Kolbe of Essex Fells, N.J., died Oct. 15.

Born in Passaic, N.J., on Sept. 29, 1926, he was a graduate of the Hill School, Pottstown, Pa.; Princeton University, where he was in the Class of 1948; and the University of Virginia Law School, where he graduated in 1952.

He served in the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1946.

Mr. Kolbe worked for 53 years for the law firm of Thelen, Reid & Priest LLP in Manhattan.

He was a member of the University Club in Manhattan. He was a non-resident member of the Metropolitan Club of Washington, D.C., the Chevy Chase Club, and the Farmington Country Club of Virginia. He also was a member of the Montclair Golf Club, the Edgartown Yacht Club, and the Edgartown Reading Room, where he was a summer subscriber.

Mr. Kolbe served on many boards of directors, including that of Friends of Thirteen, Inc., where he served as corporate counsel; the Bessemer Trust Company; Carolinas Cement Company; the World Trade Corporation; the Ocean Liner Museum; and the New Jersey Ballet Company.

A member of the American Bar Association, he served as chairman of the Public Utility, Communications and Transportation Law Section from 1984 to 1985.

His first wife, Barbara Bogart Kolbe, predeceased him.

Survivors include his wife of 12 1/2 years, Patricia (Lamborn Coward) Kolbe; three children, Kim Kolbe of Roseland, N.J., William (Buzz) Kolbe of Plano, Texas, and his wife, Cindy Sue, and Katherine Kolbe of Vail, Colo.; seven stepchildren; and nine step-grandchildren.

Visiting hours are scheduled for 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at his home in Essex Falls, N.J. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. tomorrow at St. Peter's Church, Roseland avenue, Essex Falls, N.J.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Offender Aid and Restoration of Essex County, 1064 Clinton avenue, Suite 170, Irvington, N.J. 07111, or The Cope Center Inc., 60 South Fullerton avenue, Montclair, N.J. 07042.