Willian A. (“Bill”) Gnoss, Jr. passed away peacefully on April 23, 2023 at home in San Francisco. He was 82 years old. He was born in Ross, California to Willian A. Gnoss and Gretchen E. Gnoss, who predeceased him. Bill grew up on Gnoss Ranch, the family estate on Olive Ave, Novato, originally founded by his grandparents in 1905. One of his fondest childhood memories was his relationship with Joe Gnoss, his uncle, who lived and worked full-time on the ranch . “When Dad didn’t have to be on the ranch to attend to county affairs, Uncle Joe became my teacher. He taught me carpentry, electrical, plumbing, driving the tractor, tending the farm animals and the orchard.” Another fond memory is his father, then a Marin County Supervisor, taking him to a secret meeting at the old County Court House in San Rafael with. One night after dinner his father told Bill to put on some nice clothes as he wanted to meet someone special. To Bill’s surprise, he met Frank Lloyd Wright, who was designing the Civic Center at the time. Bill attended high school at Grant Avenue School in Novato and San Rafael High School. He attended the College of Marin and served in the US Army from 1963 to 1965. During his long career as an accountant, he was a valued employee of many companies including GATX. Bill was an expert on state property taxes and had an encyclopedic knowledge of the complex laws of many states. In his retirement years, Bill took great delight in traveling abroad and volunteering at the San Francisco Campus for Jewish Living, where he was adored by residents. He also continued his lifelong passion for gardening. He will always be remembered as a kind, thoughtful and generous 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 church service other than a private family gathering to celebrate his life.
Published by the Marin Independent Journal from May 10 to May 14, 2023.
34465541-95D0-45B0-BEEB-B9E0361A315ATo plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
