William F. “Bill” Grosser III, 92, of Salina, KS passed away on January 23, 2022, at Salina Presbyterian Manor. Bill was born on July 29, 1929, in Salina, the son of William F. Jr and Virginia (Deal) Grosser. On July 21, 1956, he was united in marriage to Wanda (Everhart) Lay, a widow with three young boys.
Bill attended Salina public schools, graduating from high school in 1947. He attended KU, where he joined the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting. Bill worked for Lee Hardware before enlisting in the US Army in 1951, during the Korean War. He served in the Army Audit Agency until 1953 and transferred to the army reserves until his honorable discharge in 1958.
Returning to Salina, Bill began his accounting career with Kennedy and Coe and earned his CPA license. He worked for the grain company of Simpson, Laybourn, Miller and Stark, later becoming the financial manager for John Simpson. He completed his career as an accountant for Brown Welding. He adopted Wanda’s three boys and they had a daughter to complete their family. Bill belonged to several civic organizations and was very active in the Episcopal church serving in many capacities, including as a licensed lay reader. Bill and Wanda enjoyed traveling, being with family and researching their genealogy. He is a certified member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants. Bill enjoyed playing golf with the Senior Men’s league at Salina Muni and attending his morning coffee group. He and Wanda built a new home on Millview Rd. and lived there for over 40 years before moving to Eaglecrest and eventually to Salina Presbyterian Manor in 2015.
Survivors include his wife, Wanda, of 65 years; four children, Keith Lay (Jeanne), of Albuquerque, NM; Dr. Randy Grosser (Linda), of Indianapolis, IN; Craig Grosser (Susan), of Salina, KS; and Lori Rhoden, of Niles, KS; 18 grandchildren and 24 great grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents, William F. Jr and Virginia Grosser; his brother, Deal Grosser; and two grandchildren, Jess Grosser and Robyn Grosser.
Cremation was chosen and services will be held at a later date.
The family would like to give special recognition to the staff at Salina Presbyterian Manor and Kindred Hospice for their kind and loving care.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Salina Presbyterian Manor Employee Christmas Fund, in care of Salina Presbyterian Manor, 2601 E. Crawford St., Salina, KS 67401 (Please designate “Employee Christmas Fund”) or the Salina Emergency Aid Food Bank, 255 S Chicago, Salina, KS 67401.