William Bertsch

William (Bill) Joseph Bertsch, 72, of Clinton, died on June 4, 2019. A lifelong resident of the greater Akron area, Bill was born in Akron in 1946, the youngest child of the late Helen McGuckin Bertsch and George Henry Bertsch, Jr. Bill graduated from St. Vincent High School in 1964 and began his career in banking the following year when he joined First National. He soon earned multiple promotions and held several management positions before being named an assistant vice president in 1979, a year after earning his B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Akron. Bill continued working for First National (later FirstMerit), becoming an executive and retiring from FirstMerit as a senior vice president in 2004 in his 40th year of service. Bill then worked for 15 years as a consultant in the banking industry. Bill's greatest pride and source of happiness was his family whom he absolutely adored. He and his wife Barbara celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 2016. They enjoyed traveling together, including winters in Florida, and spending time with friends and family, especially their beloved children and grandchildren. Bill is survived by Barbara, daughter Carol A. McAuley, son-in-law David R. McAuley, and grandchildren Meredith and Matthew McAuley, all of Strongsville; son William J. Bertsch, Jr., of Parma; brother George H. 'Hank' Bertsch III of North Falmouth, Mass.; sister Ellen Whisler of Irving, Texas; in-laws Sandy Huber, John Schorr, and Jim Johnston and his wife Eileen; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and close friends. Bill was a faithful member of St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church where he served on the finance committee for more than 25 years. He was also very active in the St. Vincent de Paul Society. In lieu of flowers, the Bertsch family requests that you consider a donation in Bill's memory to the St. Francis de Sales Catholic Education Fund, 4019 Manchester Road, Akron, OH 44319. Visiting hours are 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 9, at Hummel Funeral Home and Crematories, 500 East Exchange Street, Akron. Funeral Mass is 10:30 a.m. on Monday, June 10, at St. Francis de Sales Church, 4019 Manchester Road, Akron.