William George Gruesbeck

William George Gruesbeck, 77, of Beavercreek, Ohio, passed away on January 1, 2026 in Columbus, Ohio.

Bill was born on July 21, 1948 in Binghamton, New York. As a child, he worked on his family’s dairy farm in upstate New York until the Gruesbecks moved to Roanoke, Indiana, where Bill graduated from Roanoke High School in 1966. Bill put himself through Purdue University as a co-op student, graduating in 1972 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. But his degree was not the best thing he left Purdue with. In 1971, Bill met Marta Graf, an aeronautical engineering student. Within 15 minutes of meeting, Marta hopped on the back of his motorcycle and they headed to Waffle House for coffee. Bill and Marta have been inseparable ever since, marrying in Fort Wayne, Indiana in 1973. They made their home in many places over the years, including Charlottesville, Virginia, Gettysburg, Ohio, Rainbow City, Alabama, and Beavercreek, Ohio.

Brilliant, hard-working, resourceful and meticulous, Bill had a long career as an engineer, designer and inventor. He built a reputation as an old-school engineer who could solve any problem with not much more than duct tape, a screwdriver and a grin. Bill ran a large Air Force radar at the furthest tip of the Aleutian Islands, designed computer-controlled prosthetic knees, built self-contained animal habitats for the International Space Station, managed an advanced gas turbine engine simulation facility, and the list goes on. Bill had a special place in his heart for his years of work running the Dynamic Environment Simulator at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio – and especially for the lifelong friends he made there. DES was a large human-rated centrifuge used to train pilots and astronauts and develop technology to help them fly better and safer – technology like special flight suits that prevent fighter pilots from blacking out when experiencing high G-forces. Bill had three patents and many more inventions that he should have patented, and his work was featured in a number of national design and aeronautical publications over the years.

And that was just the work Bill was paid for. His curiosity, creativity and ability were even more apparent in his hobbies. He always had a project (or three) going. Some would surprise no one who knew Bill – building and flying radio-controlled airplanes, restoring classic cars, renovating a Civil War era house from the frame out, and building many, many retaining walls. But Bill’s interests ranged far beyond the expected. He read constantly. Everything from cereal boxes to encyclopedias. He loved history, and could speak with authority on anything from early Roman water systems to Civil War battle tactics. Marta says Bill is the only person she has ever known who actually read Gibbon’s Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire – all six volumes.

Bill was a master woodworker (hand tools only, thank you). In later years, his specialty was making beautiful cutting boards that he would gift to any friend with a kitchen. Bill enjoyed gardening, fishing and cooking (his precisely prepared beef bourguignon was legendary). He was the most well-researched traveler ever. Italy and Ireland were his particular favorites. He laughed about driving 55 mph on the Autobahn – and getting a ticket for going too slow. He loved photography, and was famous for insisting that the family watch extended slide shows of his photos of every Arctic fox in the Aleutians. Bill even tried his hand at being a small-town mayor and decided politics was not for him.

But what Bill really lived for was his family. He was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, mentor and friend. He was in his element at home, spending time with Marta and their children and grandchildren doing ordinary things like cooking, working in the yard, watching travel TV shows, puttering around his workshop and talking about whatever he was reading at the time. Bill and Marta encouraged their kids to be curious, hard-working, independent and capable. Bill taught them anything they showed the slightest interest in – and even things they didn’t – how to drive a stick shift, how to build those retaining walls, how to use antique woodworking tools, how to chop garlic correctly. Teacher mode came naturally to him.

Bill was strong, stubborn and opinionated – there was Bill’s way and the wrong way, that’s just how life worked. But then he’d give you a goofy smile, a silly joke and a big laugh – it was hard to deny his charm. Very few people could resist his tender heart, his generous spirit, his honesty (maybe too much honesty sometimes) and his friendly nature. Bill was loyal, dependable and kind, always there to help friends or family who needed a hand. And he would absolutely drop everything if Marta or the kids needed him, no questions asked.

Bill always had a big, comforting dad hug ready for whoever needed one. His epic dad talks about anything and everything in the car were the best part of a road trip – or just a trip to the grocery store. His dad puns were just bad. Bill loved his dog Lady, and even though he incessantly complained about the family’s various cats, when no one was looking those cats always seemed to find themselves curled up in his lap.

Two of Bill’s favorite mantras were “this too shall pass” and “tomorrow the sun will rise in the east.” Marta and the kids are not so sure. Bill will be missed terribly.

Bill is survived by his wife, Marta Louise Graf Gruesbeck; his three children, Kelly Catherine Gruesbeck Gwathney, William George Gruesbeck Jr. and Erin Marie Gruesbeck Collins; his sons-in-law, Curt Gwathney and Jack Collins; his five grandchildren, Will Gwathney, George Gwathney, Celia Collins, Shelby Collins and Josephine Collins; his sister and brother Susan Miller and Rodney Gruesbeck; and many other members of his large family. Bill is predeceased by his mother and father, Esther Henrietta Booker Gruesbeck and Robert Ashley Gruesbeck, as well as his sisters and brother Jeanne Braen, Dorothy White and Robert Gruesbeck Jr.

Bill lived a full life, a life cut short by Alzheimer’s disease. Bill’s family would particularly like to thank the staff at Dublin Glenn Memory Care, who gave him comfort and love during his final months.

Bill’s family will host a visitation for family and friends on Thursday, January 8, 2026 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Newcomer’s Beavercreek Chapel, 3380 Dayton-Xenia Road, Beavercreek, Ohio. A second visitation will be held on Saturday, January 10, 2026 from 12:00 to 2:00 pm at Klaehn, Fahl & Melton Funeral Home, 6424 Winchester Road, Fort Wayne, Indiana, immediately followed by a memorial service at 2:00 pm. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to your favorite charity in Bill’s memory.