William Kenneth "Bill" Jess
June 13, 1957 - November 16, 2019
Resident of Livermore
Bill was the son of John and Sally Jess of Danville, and the brother of Karen Jess-Lindsley (Alan Lindsley) of Orinda.
Bill spent the first half of his childhood in the Bay Area. He graduated from Arcadia High School where he was Senior Class President as well as the top backstroke swimmer in Southern California.
After majoring in Hotel and Restaurant Management at University of Denver, he embarked on a very successful career in restaurants and catering. While in college he started working for Henry Daniels Catering, working special events as well as supplying meals to forest fire crews in Colorado. Shortly after college, the entrepreneurial bug bit him. He founded both the 19th Hole restaurant and Mes Amis catering in Denver. Following his parents move to Greenville South Carolina, Bill worked for Vince Perone's, a well-loved famous restaurant in the area, and then became General Manager of Greenville City Club.
Back in Northern California, he launched Pampered Palate Catering and Jess Catering.
Bill was well-known as a caterer extraordinaire throughout the Tri-Valley area where he catered weddings, corporate and special events. His ability to create events that were both visually beautiful as well as incredibly delicious was legendary. Over the course of his career he served three US presidents, heads of corporations and many happy brides and grooms.
Bill was known for his wit, culinary skills, generosity and deep friendships. His favorite moments in life were spent with his dear friends as well as swimming, skiing, fishing, and spending time at his Tahoe cabin.
A Celebration of Life will be held at St. Timothy's Episcopal Church at 1550 Diablo Rd, Danville on Monday, December 2 at 11 am.
A needs-based scholarship fund in Bill's name has been created at University of Denver, Daniels School of Business Hospitality Management Program. Contributions can be made to:
University of Denver
PO Box 910585
Denver CO 80291-0585
Online contributions can be made at du.edu/give
Please note on any checks or online contributions that your donation is being made "In memory of William Jess".
View the online memorial for William Kenneth "Bill" Jess
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Published in East Bay Times on Nov. 29, 2019
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