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William Clare Gese

Dear Dad,

On behalf of our nation we are proud that you enlisted in the Navy in 1942. Your service as captain of your little LCT in the Pacific Theatre during World War II has touched us all deeply. Your stories of surviving the typhoon while at sea and mastering the Japanese language are legend!

After the war, while earning a degree at the University of Buffalo, you met your future wife, our mom. You said marrying Estelle Pemberton in 1948 was the happiest day of your life! Even before starting your own family you helped raise mom’s two younger sisters, Anne and Gale. Together you and mom taught us to love and cherish our family, and as a family we grieved when she passed in 2010 after 62 years of marriage.

Growing up in the village of Bemus Point you gave us the best childhood ever! You took our entire neighborhood of kids skating on the lake, sledding on the golf course hill, and swimming off the raft. We camped, we traveled, we learned so much.

Over the 32 years as a Spanish teacher in Bemus and later at Maple Grove, you influenced hundreds of students. Many of them have told us you were their favorite teacher ever! You certainly were ours.

Everyone you worked with and everyone you met has a story, and it seems many of them involve you riding your bike when you were well past 80 years old! You inspired a lot of cyclists, especially since your bike didn’t have gears.

We’re going to miss you, Dad. You’ve left a very deep void. You’ll be deeply missed by your 15 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. We’re sorry that the last couple of years were so difficult for you. Perhaps you realized that we needed that time to prepare for life without you.

With all our love,

Glen (BethAnn) Gese, Beth (Chris) Ritchie, Claire (Ed Bradford) Sleggs and Ralph (Mary) Gese

William Clare Gese died at home on May 18, 2017, just eight days shy of his 92nd birthday. A military burial will be held in the Bemus Point Cemetery at a future date. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Jamestown Veterans Administration, the Chautauqua County Hospice, or the Bemus Point Volunteer Fire Department.