William (Bill) Harold Kastern, distinguished scientist and eye doctor, and beloved husband of Esther M. Leise, passed away in the early morning of Monday, 11 March 2019. Bill grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, attended Marquette High School and graduated with a degree in Biology from Marquette University in 1972. He earned a master’s degree from the same institution in 1974. After he obtained a Ph.D. in Biology from Wesleyan University in Connecticut in 1977, he pursued advanced training at the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. He conducted research into the causes of diabetes in Copenhagen, at the University of Denmark’s Hagedorn Research Institute of Biology. He returned to the United States for another professorship position at the University of Florida, then pursed a degree from New England College of Optometry. He successfully practiced as an eye doctor in Florida, Wisconsin and Virginia.
Bill is predeceased by his parents, Anthony and Dorothy Kastern, as well as his uncle, Ronald Reich. He is mourned by his wife, his brother and sister-in-law Anthony (Sandy) and Deborah Kastern, his sister Lynette Lloyd-Tengler and brother-in-law Mark Tengler, as well as by aunts, nieces, and nephews.
Bill enjoyed many hobbies, including astronomy, woodworking, and cooking. He listened to many types of music and participated in Scottish Country dancing. Bill left us after a courageous 14 year struggle with metastatic prostate cancer. He will be sorely missed. A memorial service is scheduled at Beth David Synagogue on Wednesday, April 10, at 7PM. All are welcome. We will have an open microphone after the service for people who wish to share their thoughts. No plants or flowers please. In lieu of flowers, please send any donations to the Prostate Cancer Research Institute, 300 Corporate Pointe, Suite 383, Culver City, CA 90230, or the Randolph Hospice House, at Hospice of Randolph County, P.O. Box 9, Asheboro, NC 27204-0009.
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