Obituary of William Joseph Rositzke

Husband, Father, Businessman, Entrepreneur, Farmer, Sportsman, Gardener William Joseph Rositzke, 77, of Catskill, NY & Ft. Myers Beach, FL passed peacefully to the nether in the early morning hours on August 22, 2015 at home with his family nearby. He decided to discontinue his dialysis treatments earlier in the week due to mounting health problems and loss of quality of life. His family was supportive of this decision and his loving wife and life partner Marilyn quickly facilitated his care at home. His family is grateful for the support of The Community Hospice of Greene County administered with St Peter’s Health Partners. William was a New York City native born in Queens, living in Jamaica Estates until age 15 before spending 11 years in Delhi NY. It was there he finished high school, worked on his father’s dairy farm and began to dabble in raising game birds. Bill also attended SUNY Delhi Ag and Tech earning an A.S. in Life Science with a concentration on Agriculture. The family then relocated to Limestreet in Athens, NY to the Sager homestead where he met a local girl and future wife Marilyn. Together they built one of the largest game bird operations in the country. William enjoyed experiencing the finer things in life and reveled in bringing his family and employees on exotic vacations to Antigua, St. Maarten, the Virgin Islands, cruises, frequent midday cruises in the summer on the Hudson River, fine dining and spirits and Las Vegas. He also enjoyed supplying the pigs for the Coxsackie Yacht Club Pig Roasts and to family and friends. Those who experienced it often noted the quality of the pork produced. He also enjoyed various seafood during family get-togethers as well as bringing the farm to "fish for Blues" in Sheepshead Bay, NY. William was a go-getter and always quick to identify and solve any problem that arose on the farm. William was proud of his successes and always enjoyed instilling the desire to succeed in his children and those around him. He always had help with equipment, solving problems and labor from family, employees, and long time friends in the area including the perpetual handy-man father-in-law Everett Tourjee, the younger version in neighbor (and second family to his children Michael and William) David and Loretta Deamer and children, as well as the Wilkinson family Carlton, Linda, Brian and Karen and various others in the Wilkinson clan who were employees on the farm and appreciated by Bill. William has gone to join his parents William H. and Rose Agnes (née Brown), sister Dorothea King, nephew William King, grandson Robert Rositzke as well as various other relatives and in-laws. He is survived by his wife, Marilyn (née Tourjee) Rositzke, sons William E. and Michael J. Rositzke (Alison), grandchildren: William M., Maeve and Merryn Rositzke, nephews: Robert King, Sean (Sarah) Russell, and niece Erin (Christopher) Chmielewski (née Russell). In keeping with the wishes of William and his family there will be no services. Arrangements have been entrusted to Simple Choices, Inc. Cremation Service