Tributes

It is with heavy hearts that the son and daughter of William John Donsbach announce Bill's passing on March 4th, 2019. His wife of 53 years, Dale Donsbach, mourns the loss of a dear Husband but joins us in celebrating a life well lived. We are the son, Scott Donsbach married to Nancy Donsbach, and the daughter, Kimberly VanAlstine married to Rick VanAlstine, who want to share a few words on behalf of our Father, Bill. He was born on December 26th, 1943 in Baltimore, Maryland to Catherine and Hague Donsbach. Twenty years later, he was able to share his loving parents with a brother, Jeff. While Jeff grew up in Madison, New Jersey, Bill met his dream of becoming a soldier after graduating from Virginia Military Institute (class of '65). Although Dale and Bill grew up10 miles apart in New Jersey, our devilish Dale was breaking Bill out of the dormitory of VMI for fun dates that lead to a wedding in September of 1965 before Bill's deployment to Vietnam as Captain of Infantry Regular Army. As children, we know that our Dad was a Hero. Our hero was defined by his strong work ethic, being home every night for supper, and teaching us the principles of life that lead to success both professionally and personally. It wasn't until recently that we found out that Bill was another type of hero, a Bronze Star Medalist with two Oak Leaf Clusters. Bill received the Bronze Star for heroism in connection with ground operations against hostile forces in the Republic of Vietnam. "With complete disregard for his personal safety, Captain Donsbach maneuvered to a point between his injured comrades and the hostile position and laid down a heavy volume of fire which enabled the wounded men to be evacuated from the area."Using the words of my brother, he was a real Bad Ass! After his discharge in 1974, Bill continued to operate with the same devotion to duty but now the duty of family. He worked diligently in the world of Banking while raising us. He watched his brother, Jeff, graduate from college, start marriage to his wife, Beth, and have two beautiful daughters, Catherine and Mary. Meanwhile, we, the children of Bill Donsbach, grew up participating in Dad's many hobbies relating to history. Who can forget the Mountain Men days with Scott as the Mountain Man-to-be and Dale and Kim as the Crow squaws! But that wasn't enough. The Civil War era was just far to interesting to pass Bill by without a few reenactments. And who knew that a picture of 5 year old Bill in a cowboy costume would go full circle with him participating in Sharp Shooter events in his late sixties! He was passionate about history and could sit with anyone who was willing to listen or discuss. And let us not forget his other passion, his beloved dogs. The wag of Casey's tail (or any furry tail) always put Bill into a full faced smile. But Bill's real pride was his grandchildren, Benjamin and Amelia Donsbach, the beautiful children of Scott and his wife, Nancy. He was overflowed with joy, as was Dale, to hear the news of Ben accepting at University of Vermont and watching Amelia to strive for a similar goal. We are saddened that Bill will not be on this earth to watch his grandchildren's successes in life but we know that he is watching down at all times. We celebrate your life, Dad, and are comforted with the thoughts of you being surrounded with Oma, Pop, your beloved dogs and probably making a little trouble with your dear friend, Wayne "Moose" Lewis. To all Friends and Family, on behalf of his loving wife Dale, we invite you to celebrate William (Bill) Donsbach's life with a Visitation on Saturday, March 16th from 1-3 pm at Goldfinch Beach Chapel on 11528 Highway 17 Bypass, Murrells Inlet, SC. On the day the Bill retired, he said he would never wear a suit or tie again so to honor his proclamation please be causal, comfortable, and bright during your visit. Goldfinch Funeral Home is in charge of the Visitation arrangements. For your consideration, in lieu of flowers, donate to National Kidney Foundation (https://www.kidney.org/atoz/content/polycystic) in honor of William J Donsbach.

Tributes

William John Donsbach

December 26, 1943 - March 4, 2019