William Papsco Obituary

PAPSCO, WILLIAM GEORGE (BILL), 84, died at home in Windsor, CA on Sunday September 27, 2009. A pioneer in the development of "open plan" interiors for offices and schools, his concept for portable wall systems contributed to the introduction of the office cubicle. Another success, the "Star Divider" was the standard for portable study havens at American colleges and universities in the 1960's. Bill was an engineering graduate of Cornell University (1946) where he was coxswain of the "Big Red" crew, and attended Harvard Business School (1953). He was a regular supporter of St. Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, N. J., his home town. Bill was also the founder and owner of Pele Nevada, LLC, a precious metals processing company in Reno, NV. A lifelong wine enthusiast and gourmet chef, he will be most remembered as a person who treasured his family and friends; among them are - his good buddies from Harvard who together traveled to places around the globe, his cousins in Austria who provided a second home for he and Carol, and his loyal beachcombers at Makena Surf. The Papsco's also lived in Maui, HI, and Kirkwood, CA He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Carol Burtch Papsco, his children, Mary Papsco Young of Eureka, CA, and Thomas Papsco of Poulsbo, WA, grandchildren Catherine Guzzi Rowe of Cairo, Egypt and Camille Guzzi of Seattle, WA, and a brother Robert E. Papsco and his wife Carol Grubb of Lloyds Neck, L. I. N. Y. The Papsco's also lived in Maui, HI, and Kirkwood, CA. Friends are invited to attend a Memorial Mass on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 12:00 P.M. at Our Lady of Guadalupe, 8400 Old Redwood Hwy, Windsor. If desired donations in his memory may be made to St Benedict's Preparatory School, 520 Dr Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd, Newark, NJ 07102-1314 or to the Council on Aging, 30 Kawana Springs Rd, Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Daniels Chapel of the Roses Funeral and Cremation Services 707-525-3730