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In memory of

William Feess

Palos Verdes Estates, CA

September 15, 2017 - May 17, 2018

Sep 15, 2017 - May 17, 2018

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William (Bill) Andrew Feess passed away peacefully Thu, May 17 at the age of 90.

Bill worked for 54 years at Aerospace, becoming one of their longest employed persons. He finally retired at the age of 89. During his time there, he was an integral part of the GPS (Global Position System). He helped establish the theoretical foundation for the system and oversaw its practical implementation. He witnessed the transformation of what was first envisioned as a purely military application into a vital tool in modern life, used throughout general public in phones and cars. He helped design the upgraded second system (GPS-2) as well.

Bill was born and raised in Milwalkee, WI. He joined the Merchant Marines in 1945 just after the end of World War II. He was able to qualify for the GI Bill which allowed him to go to Marquette University where he got his degree in Engineering.

He worked for a number of military contractors, including Lockheed (now know as Lockheed Martin), working in Baltimore, Denver and Los Angeles. He met his future wife and fellow cheese-head (from Wisconsin), Mary Cunnien in Baltimore. After a 2 year courtship, they married in Madison, WI and moved to Denver. They only lived in Denver for 1 year, but added their first child: Terri. After moving to Sunnyvale, CA, they had 2 more children: John and Reilly. They finally moved to southern California in 1963 where Bill began working at Aerospace. He also started his masters at UCLA, graduating in several years, while his wife raised 3 little ones. They had their fourth and final child, Tom, in 1968. Bill and Mary were married for 53 years until Mary passed away in 2012.

Bill is survived by his 4 children, Terri Rogers, John Feess, Reilly Andrews and Tom Feess and his 4 grand-children: Zane Feess, Jake Feess, Sam Rogers and Trask Feess, 4 step grand-children, April Pasqua, Rosario Pasqua, Kyle Moore, Ian Moore.

Memorial Service will be held Fri, May 25 from 11am-12pm at St John Fisher in Rancho Palos Verdes.

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