Dr. William Francis Neth, age 81, of Fairfield, retired pediatrician, loving husband for 50 years of Joanne Elizabeth Powell, died on Friday, December 19, 2008 at his home.  Born in Bridgeport, he was the son of Edward G. and Mary Farrell Neth. Dr. Neth was a much loved and respected pediatrician for forty-six (46) years in the greater Bridgeport area.  He was on staff at both Bridgeport and St. Vincent's Hospitals, and had his private practice in Trumbull. Dr. Neth graduated from Central High School in Bridgeport, and served in the United States Navy during World War II.  He graduated from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. and the McGill University School of Medicine in Montreal, Canada, where he was awarded membership in the Golden Key International Honor Society.  Dr. Neth served his internship at Temple University Medical Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was a resident pediatrician at The Delaware Hospital, Wilmington, Delaware (where he met his wife) and at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was a longtime member of Brooklawn Country Club, where he was an avid golfer and was proud to have won the Archie C. Wheeler Golf Tournament in 1984.  He was also a devoted and long-term parishioner of Our Lady of the Assumption Church in Fairfield. Dr. Neth received the Physician of the Year Award in 2006 from the Greater Bridgeport Medical Association.  In addition to his wife Joanne, he is survived by his daughters Joann M. Neth, Patricia N. Suarez, and his son William F. Neth, Jr. and by his grandchildren, Joseph A. Suarez and William F. Neth, III; his sisters, Mary Brown and Virginia Fitzsimmons, his cousin, Doris Leger, and several nieces and nephews.  He was predeceased by his brother, Edward J. Neth, also a respected physician who practiced in Bridgeport. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on December 22, 2008 at 9:30 a.m. at Our Lady of the Assumption Church at 545 Stratfield Road, Fairfield.  A reception will immediately follow at Brooklawn Country Club, 500 Algonquian Road, Fairfield. In lieu of flowers, donations in Dr. Neth's memory may be made to McGill University  Faculty of Medicine, McIntyre Building, 3605 de la Montagne Street, Montreal, Quebec Canada H3G3 2M1, or to the St. Christopher Foundation for Children, 1800 JFK Boulevard, Suite 210, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19103. Arrangements by the Redgate Hennessy Funeral Home, Trumbull. To send online condolences please visit www.redgatehennessy.com