William Mercer passed away on Saturday morning at St. Louise Hospital. Born in Gilroy, Bill worked on his father’s ranch. He volunteered for the Navy in 1945, before the war ended, and visited Japan for post-war reconstruction. He worked as a cabinet maker in Los Gatos and then as a machinist at GE Nuclear in San Jose, until he retired in 1982. Bill enjoyed SCUBA diving and was an avid rock hound. He discovered a new mineral which was subsequently named Mercerite. Bill made jewelry using local rocks, which he sold at rock shows and various craft fairs. He loved gardening and could be found grafting trees and planting various exotic vegetables in his extensive garden, that was frequented by his chickens and stray cats. Bill was preceded in death by his son, Ralph and brother, Andrew. He is survived by his wife, Mary; daughters, Jeanne (Mike) Flaherty of Newark, Carrie (Bob) Ross of San Jose and Marcia (Tim) Cox of Gilroy; eight grandchildren, Patrick, Renee, Tara, Shandra, Maureen, Danielle, Nicole and Christopher; and eight great- grandchildren.
Visitation will be on Thursday, December 14, 2006, from 9 -11 A.M., with a funeral service to commence at 11:00 A.M., both at Johnson Funeral Home, 17720 Monterey Road in Morgan Hill. Interment will follow.
