William Besarick

WILLIAM "BILL" BESARICK, 75 of Grant, passed away Saturday, December 1, 2018, at Imperial Manor.

Bill was born March 27, 1943, at Boston, Massachusetts to William Henry and Florence (Alia) Besarick III. Bill's father was a surgeon from England, and as a result, his childhood was unique. Often cared for by an Au Pair nanny from another country, Bill learned to speak a variety of languages from a young age, which was by design, since his dad always instructed his caregivers to speak to him only in their native tongue. By most standards, Bill had a fairly privileged upbringing, attending good private schools and usually not having to go without. As he grew older, Bill's demeanor became decidedly, if not predictably, undisciplined, and so he was lovingly encouraged to join the military.

Bill's aptitude and fluency in multiple languages were quickly recognized by his superiors in the Army, who subsequently arranged for him to enter Army Ranger training. He went on to serve in a variety of locations over the world including Laos, Cambodia, China, and Germany to name a few. Bill was also able to further his education at the University of Michigan, where he studied engineering. Following his eventual discharge from the service, He returned to Boston, where he opened his own shop, Autosmith, centering around the service and repair of European cars. Bill met many interesting people in this line of work and even had a purported influence on a young musical talent by the name of Joey Kramer of the nascent musical group, The Renegades. As the story goes, Bill was working on Mr. Kramer's Porsche when he kindly and earnestly asserted that "The Renegades" was a terrible name for a band; during the conversation, Kramer stumbles upon a paper laying around the shop with the planned future moniker of Bill's envisioned aeronautical repair business, and the rest was alleged history. The would-be Renegades would instead become Aerosmith, and Bill's shop would have to go by a different name, at least, so the story goes.

Being a product of both Boston and the Army Rangers, Bill came away with a love of the Bruins and Red Sox, an alpha male, tough-guy persona that was more real than not, and a distinctive accent, especially amidst the backdrop of "Midwesterners," whose company he came to prefer. But the Midwesterner whose company he loved most was undoubtedly Robin "Robbie" White. Their relationship was an extraordinary one, and only seemed to deepen and become more interesting with time. Their love became union on December 23, 2002, and Bill gained himself a family, which he treasured.

Bill loved the model of America that was idealized in the 1950s when people could leave their cars and homes unlocked, let their kids play outside without fear, and lived a simple, happy life. Bill's longing for this kind of ideal would eventually bring them to Grant, Nebraska, where he managed the airport. In this corner of the world, Bill found what he was looking for, and felt content.

Despite his strong manner, Bill was exceptionally caring and gentle. He would often use his impressive grasp of foreign languages to tease and have fun with people. He also had a curious proclivity for spouting limericks in his Boston accent, which was entertaining, to say the least. Bill was a unique individual, remarkable in many ways, having trod the path of life differently than most.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, and a brother-in-law, Ronnie Lee White.

Survivors include his wife, Robbie Besarick of Grant; sons, Henry Scott (Megan) Martin VIII of Pine Island, FL, Max Alle (Shelby) Martin of Cape Coral, FL; 3 grandchildren with one on the way; brother-in-law, Roger (Kay) White of Auburn, CA; sister-in-law, Linda (Steven) Elam of Wilkinsburg, AZ; along with many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

A memorial has been established in Bill's memory for later designation. Condolences may be shared at bullocklongfuneralhome.com.

Memorial services will be held on Thursday, December 6, 2018, at 2 p.m. at the Grant Evangelical Free Church in Grant with Pastor Russ Gaar officiating. Bill's cremains will be scattered by his family at a later date.

Bullock-Long Funeral Home of Grant is in charge of arrangements.