William Edward Asiano
William (Bill) Edward Asiano — husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and brother — passed away at the age of 90 on January 17, 2018, at his home in Tiburon, Calif.
Bill was born in Steubenville, Ohio, on April 18, 1927, to Joseph and Angela (Pinciaro) Asiano, both of whom migrated to the United States from their home country of Italy. While growing up in Steubenville, both parents taught Bill and his two brothers, Joe and Leonard, the value of their Italian heritage, along with respective traditions and the importance of family. The family settled in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where all three boys attended Cleveland Heights High School, with Bill graduating in 1945.
After graduation, Bill joined the U.S. Navy, attending training at the Naval Training Center in Great Lakes, Ill. Following training, Bill was shipped to Tokyo Bay, Japan, where he was assigned to a Landing Ship Tank (LST 122) and traveled to China, Korea, and the Philippines before being honorably discharged in 1946 after the war. In 1950, he joined the U.S. Air Force Reserve, retiring as a captain in 1964.
He attended the Ohio State University in Columbus to study business administration. It was in Columbus on campus he met his future wife, Betty Jane Timblin ("Timmie"). While still attending college, they were married on September 13, 1948. Bill received his BS in business administration in 1949. Bill and Betty Jane moved to Marin in 1950 and ultimately settled in Tiburon.
Bill obtained his license as a certified public accountant and worked for several accounting firms along with his brother Leonard, after which they cofounded their own firm in San Francisco. Bill particularly enjoyed commuting by way of the Tiburon ferry to their offices located across from the ferry building in the Embarcadero in San Francisco.
Bill was an avid tennis player, playing regularly with his "ROMEO" buddies out of the Tiburon Peninsula Club (TPC) until 2013. He often volunteered his CPA skills, holding several positions as treasurer for the Tiburon Peninsula Foundation, the Italian foundation UNICO, along with serving on the board of directors at the TPC. He also was a member of the California Society of CPAs, and the American Institute of CPAs.
Always sociable at heart, you would often find Bill and his buddies settled after their weekly Saturday tennis match at a Tiburon Main Street coffee shop telling stories and teasing the wait staff. Long after retirement, Bill still offered tax advice to his friends and family and enjoyed extensive travel every year both nationally and internationally. Bill will be remembered for his clever wit and generosity, as well as his passion for engaging opinions on the latest political issues. He loved good wine and food, watching sports, and his family and friends most of all.
He is pre-deceased by his wife of 55 years, Betty Jane Asiano; his parents, Angela and Joseph Asiano; and his brothers, Joseph and Leonard Asiano. He is survived by his three children, Mark Asiano of Portland, Ore., Jane Swift (Eric) of Novato, Calif., and Bill Asiano (Deb) of Colorado Springs, Colo. He's also survived by his three grandchildren, Jennifer Halberg (Adam), Jeffrey Terra, and Evan Asiano. Two great-grandchildren also survive him, Penelope and Sabine Halberg, and numerous nieces and nephews.
Family and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Mass at St. Hillary's Church, Tiburon, Calif., on Wednesday January 24, 2018, at 11am. Inurnment will be private. In lieu of flowers, you may make a charitable contribution to the Hospice by the Bay, Whistlestop, or charity of your choice. Arrangements by Valley Memorial Park Funeral Home & Cemetery, Novato, CA.