Obituary for William F. "Bill" Gollnick Jr.
William F. Gollnick , Jr., 80, passed away peacefully on Monday, January 23, 2023 after a 16 month battle with cancer. Bill (or Bull as his grandchildren affectionately referred to him as) was born to William F. Gollnick, Sr. (deceased) and Anna Devlin Gollnick (deceased) on December 26, 1942. He grew up in Burlington, NJ and enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1961. In his twenties he met his wife, the late Carole Strumskas Gollnick while he was stationed in Groton, CT. They married shortly thereafter in 1967 and had two daughters, Lisa Gollnick Rowe and her husband Robert from Hanover, MA and Laura Gollnick Andersen from Fiskdale, MA who were raised in Berlin, CT where he and Carole spent their entire marriage.
Bill left the Navy and proceeded to raise his daughters and work in Information Technology. His exceptional career included 25 years at Travelers Insurance Company where he headed different departments including the experimental remote programming facilities which was an overwhelming success long before the trend caught on. Later in his career he joined The Hartford Insurance company and worked as a consultant for numerous organizations until his retirement in the mid 2000’s.
Upon his retirement he enjoyed his life traveling, spending time with his family and friends and just being social in general. Whether it was a golf game, or a drink with friends, Bill was always one to enjoy life. He was an extremely proud grandfather to Matthew Rowe, Kaitlyn Andersen, Alexa Rowe and Scott Andersen and could never have enough time with them or spend enough time bragging about them. They, along with the rest of his family, truly brightened every day for him.
Bill leaves us predeceased by his wife Carole and his sister and brother in-law Joanne (Gollnick) and Tom Kaupus, of Hilton Head. In addition to his daughters and grandchildren, he leaves behind his brother and sister-in-law Michael and Peg Gollnick of Columbus, NJ and many nieces and nephews, whom he loved dearly.
There will be a funeral Mass on Friday, February 3, 2023 at the North American Martyrs Church located at 8 Wyoma Drive, Auburn, Massachusetts at 2:00 p.m. A Celebration of Life will immediately follow the Mass at the Chester P. Tuttle American Legion Post, 88 Bancroft Street, Auburn.
Bill left the Navy and proceeded to raise his daughters and work in Information Technology. His exceptional career included 25 years at Travelers Insurance Company where he headed different departments including the experimental remote programming facilities which was an overwhelming success long before the trend caught on. Later in his career he joined The Hartford Insurance company and worked as a consultant for numerous organizations until his retirement in the mid 2000’s.
Upon his retirement he enjoyed his life traveling, spending time with his family and friends and just being social in general. Whether it was a golf game, or a drink with friends, Bill was always one to enjoy life. He was an extremely proud grandfather to Matthew Rowe, Kaitlyn Andersen, Alexa Rowe and Scott Andersen and could never have enough time with them or spend enough time bragging about them. They, along with the rest of his family, truly brightened every day for him.
Bill leaves us predeceased by his wife Carole and his sister and brother in-law Joanne (Gollnick) and Tom Kaupus, of Hilton Head. In addition to his daughters and grandchildren, he leaves behind his brother and sister-in-law Michael and Peg Gollnick of Columbus, NJ and many nieces and nephews, whom he loved dearly.
There will be a funeral Mass on Friday, February 3, 2023 at the North American Martyrs Church located at 8 Wyoma Drive, Auburn, Massachusetts at 2:00 p.m. A Celebration of Life will immediately follow the Mass at the Chester P. Tuttle American Legion Post, 88 Bancroft Street, Auburn.