Joseph William "Bill" Clusserath

Joseph William “Bill” Clusserath, 81, passed away peacefully on April 2, 2015 following a severe case of pneumonia. He was preceded in death by his parents Joe and Dorothy Clusserath and brother, Tom Clusserath. He was born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana on December 17th, 1933 and graduated in 1955 from the University of Notre Dame with a degree in Business Administration.

Bill met Barbara (his wife) at a Catholic Cardinal Club singles group party. They later married on April 12th, 1958 and had six children and eleven grandchildren.

Bill had his first job at the age of 8, working at his father’s hardware store. For over 30 years he was a senior businessman where he did banking, credit management, and was a general manager. He then got the itch to own a hardware store like his father so Bill and Barb purchased and managed a store that they appropriately named “Bill & Barb’s True Value” in Port Orchard, WA where they’ve been living for the past 27 years. Bill was dedicated to his career in hardware so even after selling their business, he became a sales executive at a hardware store in West Seattle and didn’t formerly retire until the age of 76.

Bill was an avid traveler. A few of the top places they have visited include Switzerland (Bill’s favorite), Italy, Germany, Austria, Panama Canal, Mexico, Hawaii, Alaska, and coast to coast in the U.S. As soon as they would get home from a trip, Bill was planning the next one. Many of their adventures were in the company of their best friends, Bill and Kathy Truax, whom they shared the same wedding anniversary. Bill’s other favorite pastimes were “grabbing a bite to eat,” (a.k.a. eating at a restaurant) and also keeping up with professional and collegiate basketball and football. He loved yelling at the referees for their inaccurate calls and was a big time ‘arm-chair quarterback.’ His favorite teams were the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Gonzaga Bulldogs, and Seattle Seahawks.

Bill is survived by his wife of 57 years, Barbara Clusserath, and their six children, spouses, and eleven grandchildren: Kay, Marshall, & Chelsea Hollingsworth; Mike, Becky, Nick, & Meghan Clusserath; Gary, Pat, Carly, & Andrew Clusserath; Janice & Belle Clusserath; Patty, Sophie, & Sadie Clusserath; BJ, Ryan, Logan, & Liam O’Hare; and Bill & Barb’s dear friends, Bill & Kathy Truax.

A viewing will be held on Thursday, April 9th from 10-11am followed by a Catholic funeral mass and luncheon starting at 11am at Prince of Peace Catholic Church, 1171 NE Sand Hill Rd, Belfair WA 98528. Entombment services will be held following the luncheon at Calvary Cemetery in Tacoma, WA. Services entrusted to Rill's Chapel Life Tribute Center www.rill.com .

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to your favorite charity.