William Farber Gandert
December 7, 1926 - June 15, 2006
William "Bill" Farber Gandert, 79, of Linwood Place, Mansfield, died Thursday, June 15th, 2006 in his home following a short illness.
Born December 7, 1926, in Detroit, Michigan, he was the son of Albert and Della Farber Gandert, both of whom have preceded him in death.
Mr. Gandert was a 1944 graduate of Mansfield Senior High School, and received his Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Law, and Doctor of Jurisprudence Degrees from The Ohio State University in Columbus.
Bill was a former Service Safety Director for the City of Mansfield, and was instrumental in the development of the Clear Fork Reservoir and the annexation of The Ohio State University land into the City of Mansfield.
Mr. Gandert was Executive Director and General Counsel of the Mansfield, Crawford, Huron, Marion and Seneca County Metropolitan Housing Authorities. Bill also served as general counsel for numerous other housing authorities in Ohio during his long public service career.
In addition, Bill was a former president of the Ohio Housing Authorities Conference, former President and Chairman Emeritus of the National Leased Housing Association, and a member of the National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials, the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association and the Housing Development Law Institute.
A World War II veteran, Bill served in the United States Navy where he was a member of the hospital corps. Prior to, and just after his military service, Mr. Gandert was employed at WMAN Radio where he used the radio name of "Gene Phillips",
In addition, Bill served in the past as Assistant Prosecuting Attorney for Richland County, Assistant Director of Law for the City of Mansfield and assisted in the creation of the City of Mansfield Neighborhood Youth Corps.
Mr. Gandert was a member and former treasurer of the Richland County Bar Association, and was admitted to the practice of Law in the State of Ohio, U.S. District Court for Northern Ohio, U.S. District Court for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Puerto Rico.
Bill was a past president and member of The Ohio State University Marching Band Alumni Club, and was also a member of the OSU Faculty Club, Pi Kappa Alpha, and The Ohio State University Alumni Association.
Mr. Gandert served as current treasurer and former president of the Mansfield-Richland, Morrow Counties Total Operation Against Poverty Agency. In the past, Mr. Gandert also served as an adjunct professor of business law for Ashland University and was a past lecturer for the Ohio Judicial College.
Mr. Gandert's legacy will be the service he provided over the years in the creation of the numerous housing authorities and the other housing and poverty programs he helped administer and create for the low-income families and senior citizens throughout Ohio.
He will be remembered for his caring and loving heart, how he gave of himself, and nurtured and cared for his mother and her sister in his own home until the day of their passing.
Bill is survived by a brother and sister-in-law Robert and Sara Gandert of Mansfield; a sister-in-law Carol Gandert of New Hampshire, nieces and nephews Kay Gandert of Mansfield, Alicia Gandert of Vermont, Amy and Paul Whalen of New Hampshire, Craig and Annette Gandert of Mansfield, Rob and Christina Gandert of Columbus, and Scott and Tammy Gandert of Atlanta, Georgia, along with several great-nieces and great-nephews.
Mr. Gandert was also preceded in death by a brother James Gandert.
The family will receive friends this evening, Friday, June 16, 2006 from 5-8 pm in the Lexington Avenue Snyder Funeral Home, where the funeral service will be held Saturday at 11 am. The Rev. Timothy Armstrong will officiate. Burial will follow in Bellville Cemetery, where the Richland County Joint Veterans Burial Detail will hold graveside military honors.
Memorial contributions to Crossroads Community Church Building Fund, or to establish the William Farber Gandert Memorial Scholarship may be made through the funeral home: Snyder Funeral Home, P.O. Box 3085, Mansfield, Ohio 44904.
Bill was a member of the marching band from 1944 through 1950. He played Trumpet.
