1937
William
2022
William Kotrba Jr.
May 14, 1937 — October 14, 2022
William Kotrba Jr. Obituary
William Kotrba, Jr., 85, of Windham Center, departed on life’s final adventure on October 14, 2022 at the St. Joseph Living Center following a lengthy illness.
He was born on May 14, 1937, in New York City, the son of William and Caroline (Vesely) Kotrba. William was a 1954 graduate of New York's Peter Stuyvesant High School.
After graduation, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, proudly serving in the 4.2 Mortar Co., 8th Regiment. Upon discharge from the military, he joined his family in Willington and enrolled at the former Willimantic State Teachers’ College, now Eastern Connecticut State University.
It was there that he met the love of his life and best friend, Sandra Lee, whom he married in 1962. They were wed for 60 years.
Bill graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in education in 1962 and a Master’s Degree in later years. He was employed by the Norwich school system for 32 years, teaching science, health and industrial arts at the middle school level and retiring in 1994.
Bill was a humble, unassuming man who valued honor and love of family above all else. He embraced the Marine Corp’s “Semper Fi” motto throughout his life and proudly flew the U.S.M.C. flag from his front porch.
Bill was a history buff, enjoying the study of local and world history, especially the Civil War and World War 2. He traced the journey of his ancestors from Czechoslovakia to Ellis Island, translating family documents from the Czech language that he had learned as a child. In the 1970s, while residing in Lebanon, he chronicled the life of Capt. Sluman Gray – the whaling captain who died at sea in 1864. Rather than be buried at sea, Gray’s body was stored in a cask of rum aboard the ship to preserve him for the long journey homeward for burial in a Lebanon cemetery.
Bill’s interest in World War II led him to collect war memorabilia in the 1970s and to publish the Nippon Militaria newsletter from 1974 to 1975. He was known for his many and varied collections over the years, which included vintage postcards, postage stamps, table trivets, antique flat irons, vintage beer cans, and straight razors. He was a fixture at the Mansfield Drive-In Flea Market and the annual Brimfield Antique Show in Massachusetts.
A devoted husband and loving father, he tended to hundreds of Christmas trees on his property in Lebanon, an assortment of fruit trees, and his annual vegetable garden. Skilled in woodworking, he created conversation pieces such as wooden cranberry scoops and hand-carved whirligigs in his home woodshop. He enjoyed listening to Civil War music and quoting poetry from the early 1900s.
He was predeceased by his sister, Caroline Hipsky of Willington.
In addition to his beloved wife Sandra, Bill is survived by two daughters, Christine Carrizales of Atlanta, GA and Karen Robinson and her husband Nathanael of Cary, NC; a grandson, Elias Robinson of Cary, NC; a brother-in-law, Robert Hipsky, Sr.; in-laws Leonard and Sandra Lee, Kenley and Linda Hill, and Clifford and Beth Spinner; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Bill’s family will receive relatives and friends on Saturday, October 22, 2022 from 11:00am to 12:00pm at the Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson St., Willimantic, CT, with a memorial service beginning at 12:00pm at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Windham Free Library, 7 Windham Green Road, Windham, CT 06280.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of William Kotrba Jr., please visit our floral store.
Read More
William Kotrba, Jr., 85, of Windham Center, departed on life’s final adventure on October 14, 2022 at the St. Joseph Living Center following a lengthy illness.
He was born on May 14, 1937, in New York City, the son of William and Caroline (Vesely) Kotrba. William was a 1954 graduate of New York's Peter Stuyvesant High School.
After graduation, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, proudly serving in the 4.2 Mortar Co., 8th Regiment. Upon discharge from the military, he joined his family in Willington and enrolled at the former Willimantic State Teachers’ College, now Eastern Connecticut State University.
It was there that he met the love of his life and best friend, Sandra Lee, whom he married in 1962. They were wed for 60 years.
Bill graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in education in 1962 and a Master’s Degree in later years. He was employed by the Norwich school system for 32 years, teaching science, health and industrial arts at the middle school level and retiring in 1994.
Bill was a humble, unassuming man who valued honor and love of family above all else. He embraced the Marine Corp’s “Semper Fi” motto throughout his life and proudly flew the U.S.M.C. flag from his front porch.
Bill was a history buff, enjoying the study of local and world history, especially the Civil War and World War 2. He traced the journey of his ancestors from Czechoslovakia to Ellis Island, translating family documents from the Czech language that he had learned as a child. In the 1970s, while residing in Lebanon, he chronicled the life of Capt. Sluman Gray – the whaling captain who died at sea in 1864. Rather than be buried at sea, Gray’s body was stored in a cask of rum aboard the ship to preserve him for the long journey homeward for burial in a Lebanon cemetery.
Bill’s interest in World War II led him to collect war memorabilia in the 1970s and to publish the Nippon Militaria newsletter from 1974 to 1975. He was known for his many and varied collections over the years, which included vintage postcards, postage stamps, table trivets, antique flat irons, vintage beer cans, and straight razors. He was a fixture at the Mansfield Drive-In Flea Market and the annual Brimfield Antique Show in Massachusetts.
A devoted husband and loving father, he tended to hundreds of Christmas trees on his property in Lebanon, an assortment of fruit trees, and his annual vegetable garden. Skilled in woodworking, he created conversation pieces such as wooden cranberry scoops and hand-carved whirligigs in his home woodshop. He enjoyed listening to Civil War music and quoting poetry from the early 1900s.
He was predeceased by his sister, Caroline Hipsky of Willington.
In addition to his beloved wife Sandra, Bill is survived by two daughters, Christine Carrizales of Atlanta, GA and Karen Robinson and her husband Nathanael of Cary, NC; a grandson, Elias Robinson of Cary, NC; a brother-in-law, Robert Hipsky, Sr.; in-laws Leonard and Sandra Lee, Kenley and Linda Hill, and Clifford and Beth Spinner; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Bill’s family will receive relatives and friends on Saturday, October 22, 2022 from 11:00am to 12:00pm at the Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson St., Willimantic, CT, with a memorial service beginning at 12:00pm at the funeral home.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Windham Free Library, 7 Windham Green Road, Windham, CT 06280.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of William Kotrba Jr., please visit our floral store.
Read More
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of William Kotrba Jr., please visit our flower store.
Guestbook
Visits: 0
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the
Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors