F. William Bill Kastor

Bill Kastor, resident of Palm Desert and Bermuda Dunes since 1988, passed quietly on Saturday, November 30, surrounded by family. In his final weeks, he treasured the love of his family and was deeply warmed by the wealth of happy memories collected through his long and active life, world-wide travels, and his steady care for neighbors and friends. Bill was born in Chicago, Ill. and moved with his family to New York, N.Y. in 1940, where he was an avid and competitive sailor. He worked hard to graduate high school early in 1944 so he could enlist in the U.S. Navy, where he served in the Pacific as a Seaman First Class until 1946. After his WWII service, Bill attended the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where met and married his first wife, Jean Doerscher (1927-2000). After graduating with a business degree, he was hired by General Mills in Chicago, continued his career in St. Louis, where had strong family ties, and eventually transferred to the company's Minneapolis headquarters, where Bill worked until his retirement in 1986. Bill and Jean spent three summer vacations looking at retirement locations in Florida, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona, and throughout California before selecting Palm Valley Country Club (PVCC) in Palm Desert CA for their "golden years". As one of the earliest PVCC homeowners and members, Bill was always proud of how well the club matured over the years. He held the PVCC staff in the highest regard and always appreciated the friendliness and diversity of the club's membership. Bill Kastor was preceded in death by his first wife Jean and daughter Diane, and is survived by his children/grandchildren (Gwen, Don, Laurie, Joey, Lisa), his brother Frank and sister-in-law (Tina Bennett) and their children/grandchildren (Jacaeber, Marcus, Harlan, Christina Kurfman, Patrick, Liam, Mary, Caroline, Tiki, Riley, Cameron), his aunt Mary Louise Larkin, and his second wife, Lili Quintana. Bill will be interred at Lakewood Mausoleum in Minneapolis, Minn. http://www.lakewoodcemetery.com/history_mausoleum.html

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