Obituary of William Laitenberger

Bill passed away October 18, 2016. He was born August 24, 1942 in Irondequoit, NY (outside Rochester) to Alfred & Anna Laitenberger. Bill was president of Roessel & Company, the industrial sales company that and he his brothers owned, for more than 35 years. They specialized in products controlled by compressed air. He attended Alfred State College and Rochester Institute of Technology, earning degrees in Mechanical Engineering. Bill was preceded in death by older brother Erwin. He is survived by wife Debbi Segall Laitenberger; brother Fred (Kathy); son Jay; son Mark (Chris) and grandchildren Sarah, Krysta & Daniel; many cousins, nieces, nephews, and their families; and many wonderful friends. Scouting and being a great dad were very important to him, and he put great effort into both. Time-speed-distance road rallies were Bill’s passion, and he was a founding member of C.O.C.R. Rally Club in Rochester, NY. He was a 35 plus-year member of Sports Car Club of America, where he was a three-time National Rally Champion. He was Rallymaster of many local and divisional rallies in the Finger Lakes Region; Susquehannock Trail PRO Rally (Wellsboro, PA); and the Finger Lakes 1000 which became the Arizona 1000 after he & Debbi moved to Arizona in 2005. He mentored countless new people into his sport and pioneered innovations in his events that have been copied nation-wide. Bill was active in the Cornville Community Association and the Verde Santa Fe Homeowner’s Association; a volunteer with Toys for Tots and the AARP Tax Aide program. A Celebration of Life will be held Sunday, October 30, from 2 – 5 PM at the Verde Santa Fe Clubhouse, Verde Santa Fe Parkway, Cornville. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Verde Valley Fire District, 2700 E Godard Rd, Cottonwood, AZ 86326.