William Francis Gavenda Jr

William F. Gavenda, Jr., age 79, of Anacortes, WA, passed away on July 19, 2023. He is survived by his beloved wife, Christine Gavenda (nee Jacobson). Devoted father of Alexander (Carin) Gavenda, of Herculaneum, MO, and precious grandfather of Charlotte and Casimir. He will be missed by his cherished brother, Robert (Anne-Marie) Gavenda, of Crete, IL, and sister, Bernadette (Michael) Sartorius, of Flower Mound, TX, and brother-in-law, Michael Jacobson, of St. Louis, MO. Fond uncle of Mark Gavenda, of Los Angeles, CA. He was preceded in death by his parents, William (Estelle) Gavenda, Sr., his in-laws, Raymond (Lillian) Jacobson, and niece Danielle Sartorius.
William was a graduate of Bloom High School, Chicago Heights, IL, class of 1962. For summer employment, one of his jobs was caddying at Idlewild Country Club, Flossmoor, IL. He attended the Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, where he participated in the co-op program. He graduated in 1967 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and was a member of the Theta Xi fraternity, holding various positions, including President. In 1978, he was employed at the University of Hawaii; in addition, he held Electrical Engineering positions in the states of Illinois, California, Hawaii, Louisiana, Florida, Washington, Wisconsin, and also held a patent for a strobe bar. He earned an MBA in 1997 from Webster University. In Oak Harbor, WA, he was employed at Idex Health & Science. In 2016, he and Chris moved to Delafield, WI, where he worked at Generac Power Systems until he retired from Generac in 2021 and returned to Anacortes, WA.
As a child, Bill was quite active in the Boy Scouts, earning the rank of Eagle Scout. At age 12, he began to take accordion lessons. He participated in baseball with the Teener League in Chicago Heights, IL, and became a Ham Radio Operator (AE7VU), which he continued into adulthood. He had various interests in his spare time and completed many stained-glass projects, which he gave as gifts. He with his dogs were avid hunters, and he accompanied his son, Alex, on many camping trips. Occasionally, Chris would join him camping in the state of Washington. Also an accomplished cook in the kitchen and around the outdoor grill, Bill especially liked to prepare his holiday smoked turkey.
A celebration of William's life is scheduled for Saturday, November 4, 2023, at St. Agnes Church, 1501 Chicago Road, Chicago Heights, IL 60411. Visitation with family and friends will begin at 9:30 A.M, and a Catholic Mass will follow at 10:00 A.M.
To share memories of Bill, please visit www.evanschapel.com/obituary/bill-gavenda-jr.