William Schlosser

William “Bill” Schlosser, 89, Bismarck, passed away on Oct. 28, 2010, in a Bismarck hospital. Burial will be held at St. Mary’s Cemetery.

Bill was born May 14, 1921, to Sebastian and Frances (Feist) Schlosser in Kintyre. He grew up on a family farm in the Kintyre-Braddock area.

On Oct. 13, 1941, he married Frances Gross at St. Peter and Paul Church at Strasburg. They moved to Bismarck in 1946, where he went to work at a Texaco service station. He later owned and ran West End Texaco on the corner of Washington and Main in Bismarck. In 1956, he operated Bill’s Skelly on East Main. The family moved to a farm northeast of Cresbard, S.D., in 1959, where Bill farmed until 1978. After being service manager for Iten Pontiac, he went into automobile sales and thoroughly enjoyed working with everyone at Eide Ford.

Among Bill’s many talents were horsemanship, pheasant hunting, racing cars and mechanics. His mechanical genius was beyond belief and it was demonstrated repeatedly; whenever there was a mechanical problem that others couldn’t figure out, he could. Riding and working with horses was a part of everyday life in his early years, and he could ride and handle a horse like the best of them; he was an excellent shot but never cleaned the game; and he had a way of turning the conversation into car talk related to speed and power.

Bill’s excitement for life was self-evident. He took up golfing at the age of 81 to be with his boys. He had morning coffee with his buddies at McDonald’s, where they had robust conversations that addressed and solved all the issues of the day. He mowed his lawn every week and in preparation for winter, he just bought a brand new snow blower; this time, he bought heat-generating gloves to keep his hands warm, so he was excited for the snow to bring on the challenge.

Those who knew Bill were blessed, because if he knew you, you were his friend. No one seized the day and filled every minute with attention more than him. He had an intense interest in every person he met. He lived with more spirit than most realize that they possess.

Nothing was more important than getting together with family. He treated all the kids like they were a blessing to him, which he knew them to be. He never left it unknown that his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren were what made him the richest man on earth.

He will be greatly missed by his wife of 69 years, Frances; his two sons, William (Kay) Schlosser and Gerald (Barbara) Schlosser, all of Bismarck; five daughters, Marlene (Terry) Koehler, Bismarck, Bonnie (Kim) White, San Antonio, Vera (Dan) O’Neill, Martin, S.D., Lynne (Vern) Dosch, Bismarck, and Tamara (Noel) Lunde, Bismarck; 25 grandchildren; and 18 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents; and 15 brothers and sisters.