William "Bill" Gaw

1931 - 2025

Bill to our mom, Dad to us, Papa to his grandkids - passed away peacefully in his sleep at 94 years old. He was born in Oakland, California in another era; he lived his childhood and adolescence in the Great Depression and WWII. His family moved around many times in the search for steady employment for his father Nort, and his mother Madaline was always a loving presence for her son.
Dad achieved many things in his life: an enduring 64-year marriage, loving commitment to three children, their spouses/partners and three grandchildren, his Air Force service during the Korean War, his degree in metallurgical engineering from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, playing football in high school and college, a 70-year career in the aerospace industry, scuba diving off the coast of California to test the corrosion of metals, sailing to Catalina Island each summer, taking solo road trips on his motorcycle into his 80's, and spending a lifetime as a rule-breaker and truly independent thinker. Throughout his life and his many endeavors, his focus was to provide for his family through his dedication to his career.
Dad's fascination with welding and metallurgy was all-consuming and lasted his entire life. During his time working for Aerojet he tested and refined a procedure for the plasma arc welding process that is still widely used. He worked on welds and welding procedures for the U.S. Apollo program's propellant tanks for moon landing missions, parts for U.S. Navy nuclear submarines, and on the last NASA Space Shuttle Orbiter during his time at North American/Rockwell and Boeing. As a result of his incredible work, he was honored with NASA's Engineer of the Year award in 1991 in Florida.
Dad was a master problem solver, whether it was welding the sturdiest backyard jungle gym, engineering stands for neighborhood 4th of July fireworks in the streets in the 70's or coming up with a fencing solution for our mom's community garden plot. If you mentioned a project and he decided it was a challenge, he was going to figure it out and finish it. But unorthodox perfection could take a while!
Dad also had an unrivaled vocabulary and wasn't afraid to use his full arsenal when explaining things. When we were kids crowded around the dinner table, he'd make us look up esoteric words in the dictionary on the spot. He wouldn't tell us the definition! He was a voracious reader and would sometimes stay up till the early morning hours reading a good novel.
Bill is survived by his wife, Carolyn Gaw, son Robert Gaw (May Villafuerte), daughter Catherine Gaw (Sergio Tapia), daughter Becky Gaw McCalla (Kit McCalla) and three grandchildren (Max, Brett and Josie McCalla). The family will be holding a private memorial service later in July. In lieu of donations or flowers, his family asks that you spend a few minutes doing a mind-bending puzzle of any type.