Willian A. (“Bill”) Gnoss, Jr.
June 10, 1940 – April 23, 2023
San Francisco, CA
Willian A. (“Bill”) Gnoss, Jr. passed away peacefully at home in San Francisco on April 23, 2023. He was 82 years old. He was born in Ross, California, the son of Willian A. Gnoss and Gretchen E. Gnoss, who predeceased him.
Bill grew up on Gnoss Ranch, the family compound on Olive Ave, Novato, originally established by his grandparents in 1905.
One of his fondest memories in growing up was his relationship with Joe Gnoss, his uncle who lived and worked full time on the Ranch. “When Dad had to be away from the Ranch taking care of county business, Uncle Joe became my teacher. He taught me carpentry, electrical, plumbing, driving the tractor, taking care of the farm animals and the orchard.”
Another fond memory involved his father, a Marin County Supervisor at the time, taking him to a secret meeting at the old County Court House in San Rafael. After dinner one night, his Dad told Bill to put on some nice clothes as he wanted him to meet someone special. To Bill’s surprise, he met Frank Lloyd Wright who was designing the Civic Center at the time.
Bill completed grammar school at Grant Avenue School, Novato, and San Rafael High School. He attended College of Marin, and served in the U.S. Army from 1963 to 1965.
He was a valued employee of many companies over his extended accounting career, including GATX. Bill was a wizard at state property tax issues, with encyclopedic knowledge of the complex laws of many states.
In his retirement years, Bill took great pleasure in traveling to foreign destinations, and volunteering at the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living, where he was adored by the residents. He also continued his life-long passion for gardening. He will always be remembered as a kind, thoughtful and giving man with a great sense of humor.
Bill is survived by his loving husband, Kornel Mikes, his sister Louise Gnoss Neustadt, his cousins George H. Gnoss, Jr. and Kenneth J. Gnoss, his nieces Margann Gnoss Bridges, Michelle Rodriguez, Ashley Gnoss and Alexandra (“Alex”) Gnoss, his nephew Robert Anderson, and his dear cat Plushous.
At Bill’s request, there will be no service other than a private family gathering to celebrate his life.
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