William J. Gotfredson

Bill is survived and deeply missed by his loving wife of 52 years, Channy Gotfredson; his children, Halle Gotfredson (Clay) and Jillian Gotfredson; and his brother Gary Gotfredson (Saundra and family). He was preceded in death by his parents, Merle and Gail Gotfredson.

Bill grew up in Omaha, Nebraska and in Sioux City, Iowa. He and his older brother, Gary, enjoyed road trips with their parents who ignited what would become a lifelong love of nature (particularly mountains) and traveling. Bill was also passionate about figure skating and became a member of local clubs; participating in performances as a pairs figure skater. He also never missed the chance to go on his high school’s biology trips with a trip to the Grand Canyon, hiking down one rim and back out the other, being a memory he would look back on fondly for decades. He graduated from Central High School “Castle on the Hill” in 1963 and went to University of Nebraska-Lincoln (Go Huskers!) where he got his Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in 1967. He would go on to complete a Juris Doctor in 1970. During his college days, he was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity where he would find friends for life and stories for decades.

After law school, Bill moved to Kansas City to practice law. He enjoyed being active in the Kansas City Bar Association and Blue Goose where he became “Most Loyal Gander”. He was president of the Kansas City chapter of the Nebraska Alumni Association during the 1980’s, never letting his love of the Huskers fade. He met his wife, Channy, in 1971 through a mutual friend at one of her band’s performances. They married in October of 1972 and made sure they spent as much of their time traveling nationally and internationally, as possible. Bill and Channy found they shared a love of mountains and skiing and returned to the mountains as often as they could. Together in 1981, they first started their family by adopting a part coyote and Navajo sheepdog named Ebony; his love of dogs would span his lifetime. A year later, Halle arrived and he and Channy spent the next 4 years chasing her around as she put on performances and basked in the spotlight until Jillian arrived in 1986.

Bill was an incredibly loving and active father; even as his work got busier and the hours grew longer, he ALWAYS made time to attend school performances, father-daughter dances, and sports games. He passed along his love of nature and travel to his girls through road trips and vacations. He always made sure to set an example of honesty, integrity, and hard work for his girls. During Halle’s time in high school, Bill co-founded the Center Education Foundation to help bridge gaps in funding and resources for the school district and was Chairman until 2024. He was passionate about the Foundation and remained a part of the board until his death.

If you know Bill, you know he always loved a good pun or a bad joke; he enjoyed a good drink (scotch on the rocks or a gin & tonic); and he was a Nebraska football fanatic (he even had a Nebraska themed bathroom for a time). You also probably know that if he was near a lake or large body of water, he would insist on finding a boat to drive and when doing so would have the biggest grin plastered on his face. You know that if music was playing, then he was on the dancefloor and taking whoever would go (Channy says he was the best dancer she’d ever met). You know that mountainous scenery made him incredibly happy and that traveling anywhere beautiful meant he was going to do hours and hours of research and show up with an indexed binder of notes and travel plans to make sure nothing was missed. He loved ice cream (especially coffee or chocolate), Werthers, dark chocolate, a beautifully cooked prime rib, and Lamars donuts. He loved architecture and would frequent open houses to see it in person. A captain of a cruise ship once allowed him to steer and he beamed from ear to ear. He loved Runza and never missed watching Nebraska football games, sometimes to the detriment of their dogs who would get startled when he would yell at the tv in excitement. Most of all, you know he loved his family deeply and was deeply loved by them..

Bill was a great listener, kind, honest, hard working, curious about the world, a loyal friend, and just a good guy.

His family would love for you to send photos, videos, and stories of him to [email protected] They are hoping when they miss him most, they can log in and read stories of him (however long, short, good or bad they may be) from every decade of his life. Whether you think of something now or 15 years from now, the family would love to hear from you.

A memorial service and reception will be held on Monday, September 22nd at 11am at Mt. Moriah, Newcomer & Freeman Funeral Home in Kansas City, Missouri. For people wishing to make a memorial gift, please consider supporting the Center Education Foundation at www.centereducationfoundation.org/donate or a charity of your choice.