William D. Marsele passed away peacefully at home in the arms of his loving wife after a long, hard battle against 4th stage renal cancer on Friday, January 31st. He was only 64 years old. His courage and tenacity was a great inspiration to all who knew him; he was kind, courteous and full of good humor even during the most difficult moments of his long struggle against a debilitating illness. He will be deeply missed by his wife and best friend, Tammara Leminen, Vice-President of Leadership for Phi Theta Kappa at Berkshire Community College and former editor of ZINE. Will is also survived by his son Peter Marsele, Pete's wife Becky and their daughter Madison; his sons Daniel and Alexander Judd; his daughter Kirsi Leminen; and his daughter Katrina Lazerow, her husband Rodger and their daughter Ariana. Will was the Chairman of the Board of Tax Assessors for the City of Pittsfield from 2007 until his illness forced his retirement in 2011. Prior to that, he served as the Lead Tax Assessor for the City of Mansfield; Town Assessor and Administrator for the WPC for the Town of Ellington; and Assessor and Assistant Town Manager for the Town of Granby, for a combined total of almost 40 years of municipal service. During his many years as an exemplary civil servant, Will earned numerous awards and citations for meritorious service, including a plaque from the City of Pittsfield. He was also involved in many town projects that greatly benefitted the citizens of those municipalities, including getting legislation passed to set aside lands for public use, tax exemptions for the elderly and disabled, and setting up the retirement system for municipal employees in 1984 that is still in place in Connecticut. During his years as an Assessor, William was also the Administrative Advisor to the Water Pollution Control Authority from 1982 to 1988, the President of the Tolland/Windham Counties Tax Association from 1989 to 1994, and served on the DEMIS Committee to provide alternative housing for recovering alcoholics and addicts from 1997 to 2002. He was also heavily involved in Community Theater with the Simsbury Players, both as an actor and as the director of several plays. A noted athlete in high school and college, Will attended Pennsylvania Military Academy on a sports scholarship, graduating with a degree in Political Science. Despite such a stellar list of accomplishments, he will be best remembered by everyone who knew him for his kindness, his generosity, his honesty, and his keen sense of humor. MEMORIAL SERVICE: A Memorial Service will be held at noon on Tuesday, February 11th, at Sacred Heart Church on Elm Street in Pittsfield. A Gathering at the family home will follow.
William Speer
Gregory A. Haugens
William D. Marsele passed away peacefully at home in the arms of his loving wife after a long, hard battle against 4th stage renal cancer on Friday, January 31st. He was only 64 years old. His courage and tenacity was a great inspiration to all who knew him; he was kind, courteous and full of good humor even during the most difficult moments of his long struggle against a debilitating illness. He will be deeply missed by his wife and best friend, Tammara Leminen, Vice-President of Leadership for Phi Theta Kappa at Berkshire Community College and former editor of ZINE. Will is also survived by his son Peter Marsele, Pete's wife Becky and their daughter Madison; his sons Daniel and Alexander Judd; his daughter Kirsi Leminen; and his daughter Katrina Lazerow, her husband Rodger and their daughter Ariana. Will was the Chairman of the Board of Tax Assessors for the City of Pittsfield from 2007 until his illness forced his retirement in 2011. Prior to that, he served as the Lead Tax Assessor for the City of Mansfield; Town Assessor and Administrator for the WPC for the Town of Ellington; and Assessor and Assistant Town Manager for the Town of Granby, for a combined total of almost 40 years of municipal service. During his many years as an exemplary civil servant, Will earned numerous awards and citations for meritorious service, including a plaque from the City of Pittsfield. He was also involved in many town projects that greatly benefitted the citizens of those municipalities, including getting legislation passed to set aside lands for public use, tax exemptions for the elderly and disabled, and setting up the retirement system for municipal employees in 1984 that is still in place in Connecticut. During his years as an Assessor, William was also the Administrative Advisor to the Water Pollution Control Authority from 1982 to 1988, the President of the Tolland/Windham Counties Tax Association from 1989 to 1994, and served on the DEMIS Committee to provide alternative housing for recovering alcoholics and addicts from 1997 to 2002. He was also heavily involved in Community Theater with the Simsbury Players, both as an actor and as the director of several plays. A noted athlete in high school and college, Will attended Pennsylvania Military Academy on a sports scholarship, graduating with a degree in Political Science. Despite such a stellar list of accomplishments, he will be best remembered by everyone who knew him for his kindness, his generosity, his honesty, and his keen sense of humor. MEMORIAL SERVICE: A Memorial Service will be held at noon on Tuesday, February 11th, at Sacred Heart Church on Elm Street in Pittsfield. A Gathering at the family home will follow.