William B. Conway, 84, Bridge Design Engineer

William B. Conway, who grew up in Montauk and became a civil engineer and partner in Modjeski and Masters, which specialized in bridge-building, died on Dec. 14 in New Orleans, where he had lived with his family for many years. He was 84. 

His cause of death was congestive heart failure, Mr. Conway’s family said.

Mr. Conway had been the chief executive officer of Modjeski and Masters from 1992 through 2004, retiring in 2007. His career included many milestones, particularly in long-span bridge design, his family said. He was the principal-in-charge for eight award-winning Mississippi River crossing projects, including the Greater New Orleans No. 2 Bridge, which opened in 1988 and was the second-longest cantilever span in the United States.

He received many engineering awards, including the Louisiana Lifetime Achievement Award and the John A. Roebling Medal for lifetime achievement in bridge engineering.

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

He was born at Southampton Hospital on Jan. 15, 1931, a son of Edmund V. Conway Jr. and the former Dorothy Brandes, both originally from St. Louis, Mo., and ultimately Montauk. His father had been the chief accounting officer for the Montauk Beach Development Corporation, which brought the family to Montauk.

Mr. Conway graduated from Dartmouth College in 1952, where he was known as Bing for his resemblance to Bing Crosby. He received a master’s of science in civil engineering from the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth in 1954 and then joined the faculty for a year. In 1955, he met his future wife, Florance Scott, on the ski slopes at Stowe, Vt., and they married in 1956. 

After serving as a seabee in the Navy at Quonset Point, R.I., for two years, Mr. Conway joined Modjeski and Masters in 1957 in Harrisburg, Pa. He moved with his family to New Orleans in 1961, fell in love with the city, and made it his home.

He is survived by his wife, who is known as Bonnie, and seven children: William B. Conway Jr. of Potomac, Md., Robert S. Conway of Edina, Minn., Peter J. Conway of Charlotte, N.C., Edward B. Conway and Eleanor C. Edwards, both of Darien, Conn., and Elizabeth C. Crawford and Laura C. Williams, both of New Orleans, as well as 19 grandchildren. His brother, E. Virgil Conway, died in October.