William Charles Fensterer
William Charles Fensterer
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William Fensterer Obituary
He is survived by his children, daughter Julie Traum (Michael), son William, grandchildren Christian Bassett, Lillian Traum, Andrew Fensterer and Thomas Fensterer, sisters Janet and Victoria (Robert Eckholm) and the love of his life, Anne Maxfield.
He had a strong interest in engineering early in his life and was educated at Brooklyn Technical HS and The Cooper Union before going to Wagner College and the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, PA. He was named a Florina Lasker Fellow in Civil Liberties and Civil Rights at Brandeis University and following receipt of his Divinity degree he served as a Chaplain at MacDill Air Force Base for several years.
He was a parish pastor at The Good Shepard Lutheran Church in Norwalk, CT and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Raymertown, NY before moving back to NYC to raise funds for the Seamens and International House, a place of refuge for merchant marine seafarers of all nationalities. He subsequently became their head Port Chaplain for over 50 years, continuing his duties as a volunteer for several years after his official retirement. In that role, he made a meaningful and compassionate contribution to the lives of countless merchant marine seafarers.
He was a voracious reader and advocate for the environment and human rights. For many years he and Anne spent their summers at the family camp on Lake Champlain. A lover of jazz and classical music, he sat on the board of ARTEK (Art of the Early Keyboard) for over 30 years. He and Anne attended countless musical performances of all sorts, and frequently engaged with the performers afterwards to learn more about them and the music they performed.
A Celebration of Life will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Fairfield, CT on Wednesday, September 18th at 2pm.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Victoria Fensterer
October 3, 2024
It is difficult to put into words the essence and impact of someone so
close and enduring in your life...someone who was always there.
My brother started out as a hero to me. I was very small and in awe of my
big brother who was 16 years older. A man of the mysterious world, an
adventurer, and iconoclast always open to new ideas and experiences, a
mischievous and ever curious blazer of trails unknown to
me, with a strong moral compass and ideals of justice and equality.
At a little less tender age of ten when our father died suddenly, he took on
another role, that of father figure. As I grew and matured I had ideas of my
own, having been inspired by his inquisitive and challenging mind, he
became a little more like a brother ln the traditional sense. We didn´t
always agree, but mostly it was in the details . But he always intended
to be and often in reality was my "protector" and a few times even my
"savior ". As he got older I felt like we shared that role. I, feeling protective
of him as he was protective of me. He was an extraordinary person in his
way of seeing the world and applying his ideals and beliefs , not always
perfectly as none of us do, but inspiringly , with caring and a sense of
humor. He touched the lives of so many people. When emptying our
family home of 80 years I found boxes and boxes of letters from
grateful souls expressing their thanks for his help in all kinds of situations.
(He was a saver as well as a savior) I doubt he ever re-read any of them.
So it was an unfulfilled goal of mine to take those boxes to him so
he could remember all those people he helped and gave a feeling of being
cared for. Now that he has passed from our earthly sight he is no doubt
being seen by those very souls who have gone on too and that is a consolation
to me in my grief and sorrow.
Bill was colorful and entertaining, full of wonderful and funny stories and
word play seemingly always off on some adventure. I remember a night we
were waiting for him to come home. He was out on a motorcycle ride on his
classic black 1937 Harley with his good friend Bill Finkle, who was also
quite a character. I believe they met when they were both students at
Cooper Union studying engineering before Bill decided to make ministry his
life´s purpose.
As the night got later and later, though I was only 3 years old, I knew that
something was wrong. Finally we heard someone coming up the drive. It
was Bill Finkle. He had some good/ bad news. Bill was in North Shore
hospital after hitting a patch of sand on a dark winding road and had
separated from his Harley.
Two lovely people got their car seats stained with blood as they took Bill to
the hospital. He was wearing a beautiful chamoix leather jacket that was
also stained with his blood. I still have that jacket. The next day our father
lifted the heavy Harley out of a ditch and road it home. When we went to
visit him in the hospital a few days later he was fine, sporting a bandaged
cut on his chin and smiling gingerly.
I also remember his visits home from school after he switched to Wagner
College in Staten Island. I guess I thought he was what we now call "cool"
with tales of hilarious hijinks and adventures. As he matured, he told many
stories and brought the gift of culture and music of all kinds into our life,
from Carmina Burana to Yma Sumac to Duke Ellington and Gene Krupa and
George Simonette. His tastes and interests have been as broad and
eclectic as have been his many friends.
I am so grateful to have had such a person in my life as my brother who
brought all the wonderful knowledge, experiences and many friends into
our lives and especially for his two beautiful children Julie and Will and for
their beautiful children Lilly, Christian, Andy & Thomas who, with all their
love and enthusiasm for new ideas and adventures are a bit like Bill.
Thank you Bill, we all love you with all of our hearts.
Allen J. Dybas
September 6, 2024
The Reverend was "One of a Kind" we will always remember him as an
Avid collector of " Miscellany"! He would always have a fitting use for
That cast off article or piece of hardware "someday", providing he could
Find it when he needed it. He is sincerely missed. We always looked forward
To his start of summer visit and enjoyed helping him out with his "projects"
That just needed one more screw or an extra length of tape or wire!
Bill always had time for a "visit" and always kept us in his prayers.
I will miss his singing telegrams on my birthdays!
He is no longer physically with us but he continues to remain in our hearts and
Memories. Lisa and I are quite certain that the Lord has him "Gainfully Employed"! We send our prayers and condolences to the family.
Warmest Regards,
Drs. Allen and Lisa Dybas
Kerstin Alicki
August 18, 2024
Dear Anne, Julie together with Michael, Will, Christian, Lilly, Andrew, Thomas, Janet, and Victoria together with Bob:
My parents, Gudrun and Hans, my brother Markus and I send our heartfelt condolences to you. We were very saddened to hear about Bill´s sudden passing and we are so very sorry for your loss. May you feel God´s light and love during this time of grief.
My mom Gudrun met Bill for the first time when she was at the International Christian Maritime Association conference in New York in 1978, representing the German Seamen´s Mission in Hamburg. From then onwards, Bill became a regular annual visitor to the Alicki household in Germany, mostly around the time of the Kirchentag. Some years, Anne would come along as well, and we enjoyed showing the two New Yorkers the secret treasures of our tiny German village. I remember when one winter Bill was not able to return home due to heavy snow and the Frankfurt Airport being closed for days. He stopped by the ski slope with my parents to check on my brother and me. The snow was already knee deep and it just kept on snowing and snowing. We had a great time. During that stay, I would find Bill often reading the paper in the living room. When I needed help with my English homework, he would gladly assist. I remember that for one of Bill visits, I had written him a "Wellcome" sign. In the kindest way possible he indicated that I had committed a grammatical error.
Bill loved quark. One summer day, my mom made quark with canned black cherries for dessert. Bill liked it so much; he not only finished his own bowl, but the big bowl in the fridge as well. A few years later, he introduced the four Alickis to what may have been his favorite dessert at Lake Champlain, homemade ice cream.
That summer of 1982 turned out to be unforgettable to all of us Alicki´s. We landed in JFK and Bill picked us up in the big Suburban and drove us to the Seamen´s International House. Then he showed us Manhattan for a few days and introduced us to French toast with maple syrup and endless free coffee refills at the local diner. We were in heaven. After New York City, Bill took us to the cabin at Lake Champlain where we stayed for over a week together with dear Ruthie. Will also came by for a few days. The Alicki family had an incredible time, swimming every day, water skiing, playing tennis, hiking, sharing Ruthie´s incredible cooking, and most importantly, spending time talking for hours on end after dinner on the porch. Ruthie singing Amazing Grace is an unforgettable memory together with that.
Bill shared his time with us generously. When our stay at Lake Champlain came to an end, he took us to Amagansett and introduced us to his sisters, Janet and Victoria who at the time had studios at the Square. Janet was designing and making beautiful leather purses and bags. Victoria had an exhibit of gorgeous pencil drawn portraits. Bill was always very proud of his sisters´ artistic talents. We were able to explore Montauk and Bill took us canoeing one beautiful afternoon, something my parents certainly would have never done otherwise. We truly had a wonderful and marvelous time. What a great summer vacation!
A few years later, Bill together with Ruthie, invited me to come and stay with Ruthie in Queens in 1988 so that I could explore internships in New York City. The result was that I fell further in love with New York, and the U.S. in general, and ended up attending college and staying for 30 years. I was able to form lifelong friendships not only with Bill, Anne, and Ruthie, but also with Victoria and Bob, and Janet and Rick.
Many times, when we had dinner with Bill, he would say this prayer:
Alle Guten Gaben
Alles was wir haben
Kommt, oh Lieber Gott, von Dir,
Dank sei Dir dafür.
Dank sei Dir (Thank you), dearest Bill, for everything.
In Liebe, Kerstin, Gudrun, Hans, and Markus
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Sissi Marini
August 7, 2024
I like to take a moment to express my respect, love and admiration for Bill, the kind, lovely brother of my darling friends, my lovely "sisters" Victoria and Janet, and Bob, my dearest friend and "brother" for the past 50 years. Bob and Victoria introduced me to Bill and Ann many years ago and since then I´ve been blessed with spending time with them on several occasions, including one funeral and a wedding. What can I possibly say about Bill that hasn´t already been said?
I also loved his wise sense of humor, his passion for music, his deep spiritual dedication to his religion, and most of all his love for his family and for Ann. To me Bill was someone who spread love and compassion all around, and cared deeply about nature and animals. To me Bill walked in harmony with Mother Nature and helped her keep harm and destruction away. He understood, he was a kind and good disciple. Now he has entered into another magic reality, a place I used to think of, when I was little, a mysterious space where Guardian Angels lived and gathered to help guide us all here on Earth. I believe Bill moved on to that magic reality where he can continue to do the work, where he can continue to love and protect everything and everyone he cares about and loves so deeply. I´m reminded of what Maja Angelo said: " Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments in life that take our breath away ". Bill was blessed with many of those magic moments. Love and Peace, Sissi Marini NYC
Janet O'Donnell
August 5, 2024
It has been my privilege over the past year to bring the Eucharist to Bill and Anne at 3030 in Bridgeport once a month. They were a great couple, and Bill had a great sense of humor. I will miss them both. RIP Bill.
robert rodriguez
August 5, 2024
bill and i bonded over chaplaincy and jazz.robert rodriguez.
Lucy Armstrong
August 2, 2024
A man of faith and a caring soul. He had a great sense of humor and was fun to be around. He introduced me to Trader Joe's. Not only that, but he is telling many of his stories to the angels.
Seafarers International House
August 1, 2024
Over 50 years of faithful service as Port Chaplain at Seafarers International House. We are beyond grateful for his unparalleled service and wish him fair winds and following seas.
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