Bill Gerken

William (Bill) Gerken was born November 2, 1961 in Santa Ana to William and Donna Gerken. He was raised on Milbro Street in Costa Mesa with his siblings Cathy, Cindy, Theresa, and Gerry. Together they shared many fun memories of camping at Lake Shasta, Chihuahua Valley, road trips to Iowa, and weekly family dinners. Growing up, the family enjoyed watching Monty Python, which he later shared with his own children, Josh and Danielle, along with road trips to Iowa. Bill spent several years in Boy Scouts, sang with the Boys Choir and played football in High School. He graduated from Mater Dei High School in 1979 and earned his BA in Engineering from Cal Poly in 1983. Bill began working for McDonnell Douglas, which later became Boeing Aircraft. Despite Bill’s quirky sense of humor, he was a romantic at heart. After nearly two years of dating, he wrote a beautiful poem and proposed to Michelle from the top of the Eiffel Tower. They were married on June 19, 1993 and looked forward to celebrating twenty-five years together this year. Bill became a proud father to Joshuah in 1996 and Danielle in 1998. He loved spending time with his family while cheering at the softball games, loudly clapping at dance recitals, camping with Joshuah’s Boy Scout Troop, or relaxing watching T.V. Most recently, he enjoyed working on puzzles with Danielle and playing trivia with friends. Bill returned to Fullerton College to pursue his love of geology. He shared his newfound knowledge with his son, Joshuah, and other Boy Scouts, helping them to earn their Geology Merit Badge during a trip to the desert. Another passion was carpentry. He began as a small boy carrying tools for his father on job sites to eventually designing and building room additions to his home. His daughter, Danielle, helped side by side to install the hardwood floor. Bill would joke that if it wasn’t for his fear of losing a finger, he would have become a carpenter like his father. Instead, he found joy in helping friends with their home improvement projects. Through Bill’s job at Boeing, he was able to relocate to England and later to Hungary with his family. The family shared many fun adventures traveling around Europe. One of Bill’s favorite trips was taking Michelle, Josh and Danielle to Paris to see the Eiffel Tower ten years after he proposed. He had hoped to make the same trip every ten years together. Bill has left a void in the lives of those who loved him. We will forever miss his beautiful smile, infectious laugh, and even his odd sense of humor. Bill is survived by his wife Michelle and his children, Joshuah and Danielle. He will also be remembered by his mother, father, five siblings, and numerous nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family would like donations to be made to the Red Cross. https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation The date for the Celebration of Life Service is: Saturday April 7 at 10:30 at Bethany Baptist Church 2250 Clark Ave., Long Beach Reception immediately following the service.

Bill Gerken

November 2, 1961 - March 8, 2018

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Bill Gerken

November 2, 1961 - March 8, 2018

COVID-19

Flowers & Gifts

Grief & Healing

Our Services

About Us

Obituaries

What We Do

Contact Information

365 Days of Grief Support