William Howard Gengarelly

BREWSTER — William Howard Gengarelly, 98, of Brewster, died Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2008, at Pleasant Bay Nursing Home in Brewster. He was the husband of the late Dorothea (Loebmann) Gengarelly.

He was born on April 1, 1910, in the Bronx, N.Y. He was a graduate of Glen Cove High School in Glen Cove, N.Y., St. Paul's School in Garden City, N.Y., and Yale University, Class of 1934. He was a resident of Greenwich, Conn., for 39 years and Brewster for the past 16 years.

Mr. Gengarelly was a store manager for Lord & Taylor in Long Island, N.Y.; floor manager for Lord & Taylor in New York; vice president for Oppenheim-Collins in Philadelphia, overseeing three stores; and finally, proprietor of Gengarelly, of Greenwich, from 1954 until retirement in 1979.

He was a member of Christ Church, Greenwich, St. Christopher's Church, Chatham, Brewster Men's Club, The Captains Golf Course, Brewster, Millbrook Club, Greenwich, and Westchester Senior's Golf Association.

Mr. Gengarelly was an active agent of his Yale Class of 1934. He is in the Glen Cove High School Baseball Hall of Fame, awarded the Chester Harding Plimpton Prize from the Sheffield Scientific School of Engineering at Yale University, member of Aurelian Honor Society, member of St. Elmo's Society; and received three Major "Y" letters for his baseball career at Yale University.

Bill was a noted competitor in football at the high school and collegiate levels. He enjoyed playing golf and following major sports as well as the Yale football and baseball programs.

He is survived by his two sons and their spouses: Tony Gengarelly and wife Ann of Marlboro, Vt., and Dave Gengarelly and wife Laurie of Orleans; one brother, Morgan Gengarelly of Wilmington, N.C.; and three grandchildren, Lara Gengarelly of Strafford, N.H., Nicholas Gengarelly of Fort Collins, Colo., and Katie Gengarelly of Northampton; and several nieces and nephews.

Known to his closest friends as "Ginger," Bill Gengarelly lived his life with calm dignity and an open heart toward everyone he knew. His popularity in high school and college was no accident, and his work in several managerial positions in the clothing industry was marked by his desire to listen and be fair to all those who looked to him for guidance.

For many years, Bill owned a women's specialty store in Greenwich, where he, along with his wife, Dorothea Gengarelly, built a thriving business putting customer-needs first and valuing service more than the marketing of merchandise. His family and neighbors who have come to know Bill since his retirement have shared with him that same warmth and caring that he brought to all that he did in his life.

A celebration of his life will be held on Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008, at 2 p.m., at 70 Marshview Lane, Brewster.

Nickerson Funeral Home

508-255-0259