William 'Bill' D. Gittings

Surrounded by his loving family, William “Bill” D. Gittings, age 87, passed away Saturday, May 26, 2012, at his residence. He was born in Racine, October 22, 1924, son of the late William L. and Carolyn S. (Nee: Dunlap) Gittings.

Bill graduated from Washington Park High School “Class of 1942” and attended UW-Madison, where he was a member of the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. During World War II he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps where he served as a flight instructor on B24s and B25s. After the war, Bill returned to UW-Madison and served as Manager of  “The Crew Team” and graduated with a degree in business. On May 24, 1952, in Mason City, Iowa, he was united in marriage to Theo M. Pickford.

The Gittings family owned and operated Gold Medal Folding Furniture for three generations. Bill was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Somerset Club and Racine Rotary Club, where he was a Paul P. Harris Fellow. He was very community-minded and served on various boards. A railroad enthusiast, he loved trains, enjoyed traveling and, most of all, cherished time spent with his family. He will be deeply missed.

Survivors include his loving wife of sixty years, Theo; his children, William P. Gittings of Glasgow, KY, Ann (Mark) Rose of Racine, Lynn Gittings (Skip Farrell) of Landrum, SC, Catherine Ketelsen, Sarah Kazanecki, both of Racine; his grandchildren, Courtney, Katherine and William Kazanecki, Elizabeth and Harrison Rose; brother, John Gittings of Racine; sister-in-law, Mary Gittings of San Francisco, CA; nieces, nephews, other relatives and many dear friends. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his son-in-law, James Ketelsen; brother, Robert; and sister-in-law, Jane Gittings.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, June 2, 2012, at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 716 College Ave., with Rev. Steve Fringer officiating. Relatives and friends may meet with the family Friday at the funeral home from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. Private entombment with full military honors will be held at Mound Cemetery. Memorials to the Racine Downtown Rotary Foundation have been suggested.

A very special thank you to all of Bill’s caregivers at Wheaton Franciscan- All Saints for their loving and compassionate care.

MARESH-MEREDITH & ACKLAM FUNERAL HOME
803 Main St., Racine   (262) 634-7888