William T. "Uncle Bill" Hess, 64, passed away after a brief illness on March 5. He was a loving and supportive brother to his siblings, Michael (Theresa) of Camillus, NY, Lisa (David) Mason of Camillus, NY and Paul (Donna) of Penfield, NY, and was the cherished son of Mary Louise and the late Bernard F. Hess. He was a loving uncle to his nieces, Alison Hess, Julie (Brett) Overend, Annie, Caroline and Maggie Hess, Lauren (Jeff) Benjamin and Jessica Mason. He doted on them all. He was a great-uncle to Mason and Grace Louise Benjamin. William was a devoted Star Trek fan and an accomplished chess player. He was an exceptional athlete, starting at quarterback on his Tonawanda, NY youth football team. He also played shortstop for his youth baseball teams. His brothers would kid themselves, Bill's "worst" sport was basketball – but he seemed to always best them. William was a graduate of St. Joes Collegiate Institute High School in Buffalo, NY and earned his B.A. from LeMoyne College, graduating Cum Laude. Bill had the gift of gab and could argue his point of view convincingly - engaging in political discussions, stirring it up at family events. Bill enjoyed dinners at Kirby's with his family. He was a devout Catholic and communicant of Holy Family Church in Fairmount, with a special devotion to the Divine Mercy of Sister Faustina. He made an indelible impression on his family and he will be missed. A special thank you to his friends within the Holy Family Divine Mercy group for their never ending prayers for Bill. Relatives and friends may call Thursday, March 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Holy Family Church, 127 Chapel Dr., Syracuse. A funeral Mass will follow at 12:30 p.m. in the church. Bill will be laid to rest in Greenlawn Cemetery, Warners. Contributions can be made to NAMI Syracuse, 917 Avery Ave., Syacuse, NY 13204.

Published in Syracuse Post Standard from Mar. 5 to Mar. 7, 2021.