William Diffenderfer

William Gibney Diffenderfer January 15, 1912 ~ April 12, 2010 Resident of Moraga William G. Diffenderfer passed away peacefully on April 12 in Moraga. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Bill (or "Gib" to long time, East Coast friends and family) graduated from Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster where he was a Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society member and was recipient of the Williamson Medal, the college's highest academic achievement award. He also received a Master's Degree from Columbia University. He taught at Mount Joy (PA) High School and in 1938 married Catherine Breneman, his wife for the next 65 years. Bill enlisted in the Navy and served as a shipboard communications officer in the Pacific Fleet during WWII. In the early forties he began a 35-year career with Liberty Mutual Insurance Company, retiring in 1976 from positions as Pacific Division Service Manager and Public Relations Coordinator. Various company promotions brought the Diffenderfers to Southern California in 1959 and Moraga in 1964. Bill will be remembered for his long dedication (with Katie) to the Moraga community. After serving as a youth sports coach for years he became the first Moraga President of the Lafayette Moraga Youth Association and he served on Boards of the Rescue One Foundation (which established the first paramedic/ambulance service stationed in Moraga), Friends of the Moraga Library, Committee on Aging and Hacienda Seniors. He was a Moraga Valley Kiwanis member. He was honored as Moraga Citizen of the Year for 1981. He was a long time member of Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church, where he served as Elder and Business Administrator. In retirement, Bill and Katie moved to Sun City, Arizona where he volunteered in the local library and as coordinator of the country's largest golf tournament for participants with a minimum age of 80. Bill returned to Moraga from Arizona in 2005 after Katie's passing. He is also predeceased by parents William T. Diffenderfer and Mae (Reinhard) Diffenderfer; brother S. Fred and wife Florence Diffenderfer; sister Mary and husband Lester Myers; daughter Suzanne Oberg of Moraga and grandsons James and John Montague. Bill's 98 year life produced a large and loving family; survivors include daughter Mary Alice and husband Norman Montague of El Nido, CA; son-in-law Stanley Oberg of Moraga; and son William Diffenderfer and wife Marcie of Walnut Creek. Also surviving are grandchildren Mark Montague and wife Jill of El Nido; Thomas Montague of El Nido; Anne McClain and husband Jeff of Lodi; Kristen Oberg of Raleigh, North Carolina; Bryan Diffenderfer of Sacramento, Michael Diffenderfer of Trabuco Canyon, California; Andrew Diffen-derfer of Eugene, Oregon, and nine great-grandchildren. The family extends heartfelt thanks to the staff at Moraga Royale for their incredible care and compassion for Bill over the last five years. A memorial celebration of Bill's life is planned for Saturday May 1 at 11:00am at Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church, 10 Moraga Valley Lane in Moraga. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Bill's name may be made to Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church.