IN LOVING MEMORY OF
William L.
Ginkel
August 14, 1920 – November 18, 2015
Obituary
William (Bill) Louis Ginkel, 95, of Idaho Falls passed away peacefully November 18, 2015, at an Idaho Falls care center after a gallant fight against an accumulation of various old age miseries.
Bill was born on August 14, 1920 to Louis and Hilda Ginkel in Rochester, New York. He graduated from Madison High School and attended the University of Rochester for five years, graduating in January 1943 with degrees in Chemical Engineering and Business. He played on soccer teams throughout his high school and college careers.
His working career took him to Oak Ridge, Tennessee where he worked on the Corps of Engineers Manhattan Project for the development of the atomic bomb. While there, he met Inez (Brownie) Creech and they were married on June 30, 1945 at her South Carolina home.
Bill joined the Atomic Energy Commission in 1947 and transferred from Oak Ridge to Idaho Operations Office in 1950. He held various engineering and management positions and served as Manager of the Idaho Operations Office for 1964-1974. In 1967, Bill received the Commission's Distinguished Service Award and the State of Idaho's Economic "I" Award. Bill retired from federal service in 1976 but applied his experience to staff and consulting positions until 1985.
His community and area activities included membership on the Board of Directors of the Federation of Rocky Mountain States, Board of Trustees of Sacred Heart Hospital, Rotary Club and Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce. He took special pride in contributing to the successful integration of the Site's activities into the eastern Idaho communities.
Bill and his family enjoyed sports, including skiing in the winter and golf, camping and boating at Priest Lake in the summer. His wife, Brownie, died in 2002 after years of a battle with Parkinsons Disease.
He renewed a friendship with Carol Flora and they were married on June 28, 2004 and enjoyed five years of travel, sports, volunteering and social activities until Carol's sudden death in 2009.
Bill is survived by his brother, Alfred (Jean) Ginkel of Canandaigua, NY; sons: Alan (Cris) of Idaho Falls and Robert (Tonia) of Boise; grandchildren: Melissa (Matt) Hollister of Meridian; Ross (Dannielle) Ginkel of Pensacola, FL; Camille Ginkel of Boise; Alysse (Max)Weber of Spokane, WA; and great grandchildren: Maddox and Monroe Hollister of Meridian and Miles Ginkel of Pensacola.
A celebration of Bill's life will be held at 2pm on Saturday, December 19, at 4029 Cambria Drive, Idaho Falls.
From Bill's sons:
Our father was a proud man...
Proud of his father and mother, their hard-working, close-family values, and their intense desire for their two sons to pursue their dreams
.
Proud of the ethics, accomplishments, and professionalism he carried through his impressive career.
Proud of the family he quietly loved, provided for, encouraged and entertained.
He was privileged to have had the love, companionship, and shared adventures with two dynamic women for 57 years and 5 years, respectively.
If you knew William/Bill/Papa, you were privileged to have seen the spark in his eye and probably enjoyed the quickness of his wit.
He was a tremendous role model and set examples for a good life for his family members:
1) Pick a mate for the long haul, with strengths that counter your weaknesses. One that is different from you to make life a more interesting adventure!
2) Go far and have fun! He took his family on 600-mile camping trips and 2000-mile road trip vacations to NY and SC relatives. He took his spouses on trips to the orient, Mexico, and Central America. Plus cruises to Alaska, Columbia River, and the Caribbean. And he moved his family from the eastern U.S. to Idaho to live….TWICE!
3) Have hobbies and activities that you enjoy -- Model trains, woodworking;
4) Love unconditionally, and be loved genuinely.
Thank you Dad/Papa. You were proud, loving and kind, and we will be eternally proud to have known and loved you!
We'd like to thank the staffs of Morningstar Senior Living, Encompass Home Health & Hospice, and his care-giver, Rhonda, for the professional and kind care they gave our father in his last years and months.
Bill was born on August 14, 1920 to Louis and Hilda Ginkel in Rochester, New York. He graduated from Madison High School and attended the University of Rochester for five years, graduating in January 1943 with degrees in Chemical Engineering and Business. He played on soccer teams throughout his high school and college careers.
His working career took him to Oak Ridge, Tennessee where he worked on the Corps of Engineers Manhattan Project for the development of the atomic bomb. While there, he met Inez (Brownie) Creech and they were married on June 30, 1945 at her South Carolina home.
Bill joined the Atomic Energy Commission in 1947 and transferred from Oak Ridge to Idaho Operations Office in 1950. He held various engineering and management positions and served as Manager of the Idaho Operations Office for 1964-1974. In 1967, Bill received the Commission's Distinguished Service Award and the State of Idaho's Economic "I" Award. Bill retired from federal service in 1976 but applied his experience to staff and consulting positions until 1985.
His community and area activities included membership on the Board of Directors of the Federation of Rocky Mountain States, Board of Trustees of Sacred Heart Hospital, Rotary Club and Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce. He took special pride in contributing to the successful integration of the Site's activities into the eastern Idaho communities.
Bill and his family enjoyed sports, including skiing in the winter and golf, camping and boating at Priest Lake in the summer. His wife, Brownie, died in 2002 after years of a battle with Parkinsons Disease.
He renewed a friendship with Carol Flora and they were married on June 28, 2004 and enjoyed five years of travel, sports, volunteering and social activities until Carol's sudden death in 2009.
Bill is survived by his brother, Alfred (Jean) Ginkel of Canandaigua, NY; sons: Alan (Cris) of Idaho Falls and Robert (Tonia) of Boise; grandchildren: Melissa (Matt) Hollister of Meridian; Ross (Dannielle) Ginkel of Pensacola, FL; Camille Ginkel of Boise; Alysse (Max)Weber of Spokane, WA; and great grandchildren: Maddox and Monroe Hollister of Meridian and Miles Ginkel of Pensacola.
A celebration of Bill's life will be held at 2pm on Saturday, December 19, at 4029 Cambria Drive, Idaho Falls.
From Bill's sons:
Our father was a proud man...
Proud of his father and mother, their hard-working, close-family values, and their intense desire for their two sons to pursue their dreams
.
Proud of the ethics, accomplishments, and professionalism he carried through his impressive career.
Proud of the family he quietly loved, provided for, encouraged and entertained.
He was privileged to have had the love, companionship, and shared adventures with two dynamic women for 57 years and 5 years, respectively.
If you knew William/Bill/Papa, you were privileged to have seen the spark in his eye and probably enjoyed the quickness of his wit.
He was a tremendous role model and set examples for a good life for his family members:
1) Pick a mate for the long haul, with strengths that counter your weaknesses. One that is different from you to make life a more interesting adventure!
2) Go far and have fun! He took his family on 600-mile camping trips and 2000-mile road trip vacations to NY and SC relatives. He took his spouses on trips to the orient, Mexico, and Central America. Plus cruises to Alaska, Columbia River, and the Caribbean. And he moved his family from the eastern U.S. to Idaho to live….TWICE!
3) Have hobbies and activities that you enjoy -- Model trains, woodworking;
4) Love unconditionally, and be loved genuinely.
Thank you Dad/Papa. You were proud, loving and kind, and we will be eternally proud to have known and loved you!
We'd like to thank the staffs of Morningstar Senior Living, Encompass Home Health & Hospice, and his care-giver, Rhonda, for the professional and kind care they gave our father in his last years and months.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of William L. Ginkel, please visit our flower store.
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