William K. Wertz

Bill is survived by his wife Margaret (Peggy Gasko) Wertz; his father Thomas Wertz of Anderson, IN; his son Bracken Wertz, daughter in-law Alicia Duc Wertz and grand daughter Braylie Wertz of Collierville, TN; sisters Stacie Lamborne of Anderson, IN and Stephanie Epply of Indianapolis, IN, sisters-in-law Tina Victor and Jane Gasko, brother-in-law Jerry Gasko of St. Louis, MO. He was preceded in death by his mother, Beverly Wertz of Anderson, IN.

Bill was born on September 17, 1952 in Anderson, IN. After college, Bill served our country in the US Air Force from 1973 to 1975. After owning his own business for several years, Bill resumed his Air Traffic Control career in 1982 and had a fulfilling career with the Federal Aviation Administration for almost 30 years, both as a controller and manager.. He served in Washington DC, Atlanta and returned to Memphis in 1996. He retired from the FAA in 2009 as the Southeastern District Manager, responsible for all activities at 22 Air Traffic Tower facilities. He finished his career with Metron Aviation in 2015 as a consultant to the FAA.

Bill and Peggy were married in Maui, Hawaii on September 19, 1987

Bill was a very accomplished man with many passions, including family, mentoring, golf and gardening. He was a member of Colonial Country Club since 1996 and many of his closest friendships were forged on golf courses across the US and Ireland. He took great pride and enjoyment from gardening; everything from nursing a tiny sprout into a beautiful house plant to digging up and rearranging all the shrubs in his backyard to provide them the best growing potential. He loved getting his hands dirty, both literally and figuratively.

Bill was also committed to serving his community. He was a Board Member of the Memphis Family Shelter, and a 32nd Degree Mason who worked to raise funds for the Shrine pediatric burn hospitals.

A funeral is scheduled for Wednesday, April 27th at Memphis Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens at 3700 North Germantown Road, Bartlett, TN 38133. The family will receive friends beginning at 9am, with services following at 10am. If you would like to make a donation in Bill’s name, the LeBonheur Children’s Hospital was one of his favorite charities. You can find detailed information on such Memoriam donations on their website, www. Lebonheur.org.