William Eitner's Obituary
William (Bill) Eitner, 93, of San Carlos, passed away on November 14, 2022 after a yearlong battle with colon cancer. Bill was born (Wolfgang Hermann Eitner) on February 16, 1929 to Willy Hermann Eitner & Hedwig Marta Eitner in Rosslau, Germany.
He was forced into joining the German Army at the very end of WWII when he was 16. He had always been very thankful that he never had to shoot anybody. When asked about his schooling, he would answer “Back then, we were totally focused on survival. Nobody was talking about what classes to take. They were trying to find food for their families and stay alive”. When the war ended, his hometown unfortunately ended up in the Russian occupied zone under communist rule. He escaped and headed to the west side of Germany at 17.
With an unfinished education, he took whatever odd jobs he could find (bricklayer, cement finisher, foundry work, coal miner, even working in the tobacco fields) to put a roof over his head and food in his belly. Although his first choice was the United States, Canada granted him a visa first, so that’s where he headed at age 22. On the boat to Canada, he met another German, George Wasmer, who was to become his best friend and eventual brother-in-law. They worked together for a while in Goose Bay, Labrador, building an air field. He also spent time in Montreal learning even more skills. At 25, he was finally granted a visa for the United States (as was his friend George), so they both came to San Francisco.
There, Bill met his wife to be, Yolanda Cortes in one of the fine downtown San Francisco ballrooms, the Venetian Room in the Fairmont Hotel. They danced to big band music and hit it off immediately. She had a sister (Grace) who wondered if he had a friend whom he could bring along next time. Indeed, he did. It is safe to say the chemistry was superb. Within a year, the two German men had married the two Catholic sisters from Nicaragua. Both couples, Bill and Yolanda and George and Grace, were married at Sacred Heart Church in downtown San Francisco, albeit several months apart.
Unfortunately, a week after he was married, Bill was drafted into the US Army. It didn’t turn out badly at all though, because the world was in peace-time and he was stationed in Germany. So, he brought Yolanda over to live with him and was able to visit his parents and sisters regularly. While in the army, he became a naturalized citizen and changed his name to William. His wife, Yolanda, also gave birth to their only child, a son, also named William.
After 2 years of mandatory service, he was released from the army and came back to San Francisco. There he went to night school and was able to obtain licenses which enabled him to get a job at RCA Communications as a Radio Control Operator.
Within a couple of years, both Bill & George were able to buy Homes just a few short blocks away from each other in the Sunset and Parkside districts. George had gotten a job as an aircraft mechanic at United Airlines and convinced Bill that he should do the same. So, with licenses in hand he was able to obtain a job as an A & P (Airframe & Powerplant) Mechanic at United Airlines.
He loved his job. To really become really knowledgeable in his work, he went back to night school at Heald College and obtained 3 more licenses. He really enjoyed being an expert in his specific areas, like autopilot control, flight controls, radar, navigation, transponders, etc. He found it to be interesting, challenging and very satisfying work.
Not only did Bill actually enjoy the work, but he also loved the perks that came with it; namely, he and his family were able to fly standby for free. Because of this, he was able to travel all over the
world like, England, Spain, Greece, Italy, Australia, Hawaii, the Bahamas, Mexico, etc. When he wasn’t traveling, Bill loved to spend time treasure hunting, either locally or in Hawaii. He would hit the beaches when the sun was coming up and spend hours looking for buried treasure. He would often come home with rings or bracelets that his wife, Yolanda, would love to get a crack at.
In 1968 Bill moved his family to San Carlos. About 3 years later, George did the same thing. No fog, more sunshine, bigger lots. They even commuted together for a time when they both worked the graveyard shift at United Airlines. Bill spent 25 years at United Airlines and retired in 1992 at the age of 63.
After Yolanda died in 1999, Bill would like to sit in his backyard, smoking his pipe, watching the clouds drift by, feeding the little birds, and writing poetry. The poems would cover many topics from getting older to working hard to romance to faith in God. He had memorized several of them and sometimes would recite them to others. People were surprised how well he could write rhyming poems in a language that was not his mother tongue.
That skill may have helped him impress his next wife to be, Lydia Sutton, whom he met in Hawaii on a double date with one of his treasure hunting friends. She lived in Hawaii, was a good Christian woman, and was also a widow. After dating for about 3 years, they tied the knot in Hawaii. They lived in Lydia’s house for a few months before she sold it and moved to San Carlos to live with Bill. They had a wonderful time together until she developed Alzheimer’s about 7 years into their marriage. She passed away in 2012.
Again, Bill was alone, and again he wrote his poems. Eventually he ventured into the San Carlos Community Center to see if something could lift his spirits. It was there that he met another wonderful Christian woman, Midge Graham, who was attending an exercise class. She was also a widow. Beyond that, they had may things in common. She had also worked for the airlines, TWA, as a stewardess. She too had lived in San Francisco, and just 2 blocks down from where Bill had lived. She had also lived in Hawaii for a time. They developed a very close and romantic friendship and spent a lot of time together, walking, eating at restaurants, traveling to Hawaii, and taking cruises. Bill had always loved dancing to Big Band music, so he even convinced her that they both should take lessons at a dance class at the San Carlos Community Center. They would practice in his living room.
Unfortunately, Bill’s best friend and brother in-law, George, and George’s wife, Bill’s sister in-law, Grace, both died in 2020. It was a very sad time for Bill. At least, going forward, he still had Midge. Bill and Midge remained together until his passing on Monday, November 14, after living in San Carlos for 54 years.
Even close to his death, when he was very sick, one thing he wanted people to remember was that “At times it seems that God is working very slowly, but he always comes through in the end. Don’t lose faith in trying times.”
Bill is survived by his son, William (Deborah), his 3 grandchildren, Bradley, Rebecca (Mitchell), Amanda (Julio), and his 6 great grandchildren, Makayla, Lucila, Charlotte, Noah, Jason, Isaac.
Services will be held at December 10, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. at Redeemer Lutheran Church, 468 Grand Avenue, Redwood City, CA 94062.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to World Vision or St. Jude Children’s research Hospital. Both are organizations that Bill felt strongly about.
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