Obituary for William Owen Kerr

William Owen Kerr (Bill) passed away February 21st, 2023, at the age of 75 due to complications from ALS. Bill was born in Brooklyn, New York, an only child to Herbert James Kerr and Evelyn Augusta Schroeder and never lost his passion for the city. In New York, he met and married Anita Palmieri and had two of his three daughters before moving to Washington DC in 1979. He is survived by Anita, their three daughters Tara Carter, Jill Kreston, and Emily Passmore, sons-in-law Blair, Alex, and Drew, and four grandchildren Emma, Landon, Evelyn (Ellie), and Kerr, whom he loved dearly.

Bill is remembered for great conversations, singing on road trips, and knowing every answer to the New York Times crossword puzzles. Before his illness he was an avid squash player at the University Club in Washington, D.C. Bill loved all things music, and could always be found with a guitar in his hand.  He played with several bands and sang with the choir at Holy Trinity Catholic church, but his favorite audience was his grandchildren. Bill also loved to travel, particularly to places where he could scuba dive. His love for the beauty of the water led him to become a board member of the Coral Reef Alliance, an organization dedicated to the preservation of the world’s coral reefs as well as a board member of the Potomac Riverkeepers, an organization dedicated to keeping the Potomac River clean.

Professionally, Bill was an economist for over forty years, specializing in antitrust and intellectual property. He entered college at age 16 and attended a few colleges before ultimately earning a PhD in economics from The New School in 1979. Bill started his professional career as an associate professor teaching economics and statistics and advising the government and private clients on issues including economic development and mergers and acquisitions, as well as the development of international trade and licensing programs. He spent most of his career testifying as an expert in litigation related to intellectual property, antitrust issues, and commercial disputes. He, along with co-author Dick Troxel, wrote the widely used book “Calculating Intellectual Property Damages”, now in its 13th edition. Most recently, Bill was a Managing Director at Berkeley Research Group, where he has been a treasured member of the Economics and Damages Community based out of Washington, DC since its founding in 2010. 

A funeral service will be held at Everly-Wheatley Funeral Home on March 4th- at 10:00 a.m.  Please consider donating in Bill's memory to one of the organizations close to his heart: the ALS Association at www.als.org, the Potomac River Keepers (www.potomacriverkeepernetwork.org), or the Coral Reef Alliance at www.coral.org.