BYRAM, N.J. (AP) — "Waving Willie," who gained a measure of regional fame by greeting motorists from a lawn chair for 60 years as they passed his home, has died. He was 80.
William Spranger, a fixture on Route 206, died of a heart attack Sunday after collapsing in his driveway. On Monday, several flowers and a funeral wreath had been placed near the chair as a tribute.
"He just set out there and somebody starting blowing (a horn), so he got to waving," said his brother, Kenneth Spranger.
Eventually, he developed a system, his brother said: left hand for northbound motorists, right for those headed south. He also varied his waving style from time to time.
Born in Boonton, Spranger spent most of his life in Byram in northwest New Jersey. A World War II Army veteran, he held various jobs.
Nancy Ekins, a clerk at the Cranberry Market and Deli, said Spranger came in each day about 7 a.m. and bought newspapers and a medium-sized coffee.
"People didn't know where Byram was. But if you said Waving Willie, they knew exactly. People knew him better than the town," she said.