William David Kovacs, Ph.D

William D. Kovacs, Ph.D, 84, of South Kingstown, passed away on Thursday, March 19, 2020, surrounded by his loving family. He was the beloved husband of Eileen (Mahoney) Kovacs. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he was the son of the late William T. and Eleanor (Neininger) Kovacs. Dr. Kovacs served in the United States Army Corps of Engineers and was a proud Eagle Scout. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from Cornell University and his Master’s Degree and Ph.D. from the University of California Berkeley. Dr. Kovacs was a Professor of Civil Engineering at Purdue University and the University of RI. He coauthored, “An Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering” with Robert D. Holtz. The book, now in its second edition co-written with Holtz and Thomas Sheahan, has been translated into five languages. He was the Rosary Repair Department for the local area churches. Besides his wife, he is survived by his children, Ella Davis and her partner Jerry, Ginger Charles and her husband Daniel, Carla Hubbard and her husband Joseph, Sarah Katz and her husband Douglas, Laura Cavanaugh and her husband Jeffrey, John Kovacs and his wife Sonia, and Peter Kovacs and his wife Laura; and eighteen grandchildren: Riley, Amelia, Oliver, Eloise, Bella, John, Andrea, Justin, Rebecca, Emily, Julia, Margaret, Benjamin, Theresa, Paulina, Michaela, Anderson, and Ellery. A private service was held at Christ the King Church, where he and his family were members.