William Benjamin Gintz

William Benjamin Gintz was born on April 21, 1933 in Schneidemuehl, Germany to Walter and Mary (Sell) Gintz. He was 83 years old when he passed away on June 13, 2016 in Portland with his family by his side. As a young boy Bill and his family moved from Germany to Brooklyn and then Portland where he lived most of his life. Bill attended local schools and earned his Diploma from Grant High in 1951. After High School he enlisted in the United States Navy and was stationed in Hawaii. It was in Hawaii that Bill met the love of his life Shirley. Bill and Shirley were married on December 27, 1954 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, near Shirley’s hometown of Ossian. In 1955 he was honorably discharged from the Navy and re-enlisted into the U.S. Naval Reserves and he would serve his country another 23 years until 1978. It was during this time that Bill had three children with his beloved Shirley and earned his BA in accounting from the University of Iowa. Bill was a family man who loved to bowl, dance, play cards, and drive his Buick convertible. He loved his wife, his children and especially his eight grandchildren. Trips to Hawaii and family gatherings were his favorite activities. Bill especially loved big family gatherings with his brother Frank, sister Inga, in-laws, nieces and extended family. Family was always the most important part of his life. He will be greatly missed by those he loved. Bill is predeceased by his parents and his sister Inga (Gintz) Newman. He is survived by his wife of 61 years Shirley Gintz of Portland; his children Craig (Mana) Gintz of Portland, Sue (Mike) Livingston of Spokane and Walter (Kristi) Gintz of Lake Oswego; his grandchildren Gavin Gintz, Mana Michelle Gintz, William Gintz, Grant Livingston, Jeff Livingston, Riley Gintz, Emma Gintz and Kamryn Gintz; his brother Frank (Arlene) Gintz of Tigard. A committal service will be held at 12:00pm on Tuesday, July 5, 2016 at Willamette National Cemetery, 11800 SE Mt. Scott Blvd., Portland, OR 97086. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in his honor to the Alzheimer’s Association. Please visit Bill's memorial page to share memories and leave condolences for family.