William Henry Fuerst
MEMPHIS - William (Bill) Henry Fuerst, Sr., 94, passed away into the presence of the Lord on Friday, December 3, 2021, at Ave Maria Home in Bartlett, Tennessee. Bill was preceded in death by his wife of 62 years, Marguerite Rosemond Haining Fuerst.
He was the son of the late Albert Fuerst and Marie Maul of Mingo Junction, Ohio. In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Albert and Joseph, and his sisters, Louise and Margaret.
Bill was born in Mingo Junction, Ohio in January 1927. He graduated from St. Agnes Catholic School and Mingo Junction High School in 1945. In the summer of 1945, he was drafted into the US Army, and was in training at the Cavalry Replacement Training Center at Fort Riley, Kansas when the war ended. In early 1946, Bill transferred to the US Army Air Forces and was sent to Okinawa.
While he was overseas, his family moved to San Antonio, Florida. Upon his discharge in 1947, he enrolled to study business at the University of Florida. He graduated in 1952 with a BS degree in Business Administration, and worked as a distribution officer at the Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Georgia. In 1954, he transferred to the Mallory Air Force Depot in Memphis, Tennessee. He later transferred to the Army Depot, which later changed to the Defense Industrial Plant Equipment Center.
In Memphis, he met his future wife, Marguerite Rosemond Haining, and they were wed at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Yazoo City, Mississippi, in October 1957. Rosemond and Bill had four sons, Henry (Janet) of Franklin, Tennessee; Robert (Pam) of Huntsville, Alabama; Joseph (Susan) of Independence, Kentucky; and Thomas (Katie) of Dallas, Texas. He and Rosemond raised their four sons in the Memphis suburb of Whitehaven.
For almost 60 years, Bill and Rosemond were regular communicants at St. Paul the Apostle Roman Catholic Church in Whitehaven and were both very active in the church community. Bill was an active member of the Knights of Columbus. The family has fond memories of Bill working the KC spaghetti dinners, under the supervision of Sam Barber, in the KC church hall. He generously supported his wife’s church ministries, including Mother Cabrini Circle and Ministry of the Sick. All four sons attended and graduated from St. Paul Grade School and Bishop Byrne High School.
Since 2015, Bill resided at Ave Maria Home in Bartlett, TN. The family would like to thank the staff at Ave Maria Home and Crossroads Hospice for the care and compassion they provided, especially in our father’s final days.
Bill is survived by his sister, Rose; his four sons Henry, Robert, Joseph, and Thomas; 10 grandchildren and five great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.
Bill will be remembered as a dear friend, devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, and tremendous example of Christ in his community.
Visitation will be at 12:00 pm on Tuesday, December 7, with a Funeral Mass to follow at 1:00 pm, at St. Paul Catholic Church with burial to follow in Calvary Cemetery. A reception will be held at St. Paul Catholic Church following the cemetery service.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Mother Cabrini Circle or the Knights of Columbus at St. Paul Catholic Church