Bill Gutzka Passing

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MarcE
Posts: 94
Joined: January 27, 2018, 8:47 pm

Re: Bill Gutzka Passing

Unread post by MarcE »

Rest in peace Sailor.
Angie

Bill Gutzka Passing

Unread post by Angie »

The son of Bill Gutzka asked me to pass on this information to anyone who knew Bill. Sadly, he passed away on May 1.

I knew Bill as a fellow Boatnerd & lover of craft beer. He introduced me to those wonderful burgers at Millers in Dearborn, & he & Bret even came to visit me at my first brewery job in Ypsilanti.

Bill had a quick wit, & I enjoyed discussing the shipping & brewing industries with him. I will miss him

****

Dear Friends and Family:

It is with a heavy heart that I must inform you of the passing of my father William “Bill” Gutzka.

He left us on Monday, May 1st after battling heart issues for the past few years. Per his request, we will not be having a formal memorial service. He is survived by his wife Judy, his sons Bret an Kurt and their wives.

Bill lived a good long life After his discharge from service in the Coast Guard, his career took he and his family first to Florida, then to California and finally to Oregon.. He used his Coast Guard training as one the early Electronics Specialist and his talent as a gifted writer to start a career in the burgeoning High-Tech industry. He did extended stints with both Hewlett-Packard and Intel. He was proud to be a native Michigander, a Fordson High School grad, a Coast Guardsman, San Jose State grad and made the history of the Great Lakes and Great Lakes shipping an avid hobby during his retirement.

I know that he would be pleased for all of you to remember him as a person who truly loved engaging all people and had a true interest in their lives and stories. He used to tell me and my brother that “every single person you meet in life, regardless of their situation, has something valuable to teach you. If you forget this, you are cheating yourself of all their collective wisdom”. He lived this philosophy daily and this advice has served us well. Always with a keen sense of humor, coming close the end, he told me he wasn’t convinced there was in fact an afterlife, but “have them measure me up for some asbestos boxers just in case”.

He asked for those who choose, please send remembrances to two for his favorite charities: 1000 Friends of Oregon & Bonnie Hayes Animal Shelter.

Best regards to all,
Bret Gutzka
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