Abstract
1947-2019; UND Class of 1969
Administrative/Biographical History
"William 'Bill' Gessner died unexpectedly on the evening of January 14, 2019, at Courage Kenny Rehab Center in Golden Valley, Minnesota, following a stroke on November 27, 2018. Bill was born in Fargo, ND, on July 27, 1947. He graduated from Minot High School in 1965. He was the student manager of the 1965 state championship Magicians basketball team and active in Student Council. He was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and graduated with a B.A. from the University of North Dakota in 1969. He began his longtime co-op career when he managed the Grand Forks Food Co-op during the late 1970s.
Bill was a much loved figure in three national communities: food co-ops, songwriters & musicians, and amateur tennis enthusiasts. He had an extremely active life based in Minneapolis and had created a network of friends nationwide due to these interests. He helped found several key co-op organizations and worked for more than twenty years with CDS Consulting Co-op. In 2012, he was honored by being inducted by his colleagues into the Cooperative Hall of Fame. They described Bill as being 'loyal, loving, generous, unassuming, humorous, playful, even quirky.' Bill recorded two CDs with his own compositions, 'Welcome to Gessnerville, Pop. 19' and 'Wild Life.' In the fields of co-ops, music, and tennis, it would be impossible to count the number of people who would say 'I wouldn't be where I am without Bill Gessner's support.'
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Royce and Elaine Gessner. He is survived by his seven cousins, Mike and David Hoopman, Judith Hains, Fred and Pete Challoner, Blaine Shepherd, Georgia Bond, and countless dear and treasured friends. His body will be cremated and buried next to his parents in the Walhalla Cemetery in eastern North Dakota. A celebration of Bill's life will be held in Minneapolis in May."
Source: Grand Forks Herald, 1 February 2019
