Obituary for William John Kleis
William John, (Billy), Kleis gained his wings on October 23, 2020 and took off for his Heavenly home after a long and brave battle with leukemia. Billy was born on November 1, 1945 in Cleveland, Ohio but was raised in Fort Myers and was essentially a lifelong resident of SWFL.
He was preceded by his parents, James and Margaret Kleis. He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Gloria Kleis, two sisters; Leanne (& Don) Bell, Karen (& Rob) Elwood and their children Keith (& Nicole) Bell, Kellie (& Steve) Schafer and Heather (& Philip) Gesner respectively and three great nephews & two great nieces.
He was an Alum of the Fort Myers Green Wave, (FMHS), 1964. He was very active in sports; baseball, football and swimming. He appeared in the Edison Pageant of Lights Parades throughout his youth. After graduation he proudly served his country in the US Navy - Sea Bees for two terms in Da Nang, Viet Nam, ending his service as a certified diving instructor at GITMO Bay, followed by an honorable discharge.
He loved the outdoors, diving, fishing, canoeing, and spending lots of time on the beach. He kept fit and was at the gym faithfully until last year. He had a green thumb and grew beautiful orchids, a hobby he picked up from his mom. He was a big fan of all sports and especially NASCAR. He was fortunate to spend much of his youth collecting autographs each spring training from various teams that played at Terry Park in Fort Myers. His favorite baseball teams were the LA Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays. :-)
He was an honest and loyal friend and employee throughout his life, spending much of it in the construction industry. He had a enormously generous heart and a quirky sense of humor. A Celebration of Life is schedule for November 7, 2020 at Sudgen Park in Naples, FL @ 2:00 p.m.
"Soar with the wings of Eagles, Billy! You earned them!"
He was preceded by his parents, James and Margaret Kleis. He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Gloria Kleis, two sisters; Leanne (& Don) Bell, Karen (& Rob) Elwood and their children Keith (& Nicole) Bell, Kellie (& Steve) Schafer and Heather (& Philip) Gesner respectively and three great nephews & two great nieces.
He was an Alum of the Fort Myers Green Wave, (FMHS), 1964. He was very active in sports; baseball, football and swimming. He appeared in the Edison Pageant of Lights Parades throughout his youth. After graduation he proudly served his country in the US Navy - Sea Bees for two terms in Da Nang, Viet Nam, ending his service as a certified diving instructor at GITMO Bay, followed by an honorable discharge.
He loved the outdoors, diving, fishing, canoeing, and spending lots of time on the beach. He kept fit and was at the gym faithfully until last year. He had a green thumb and grew beautiful orchids, a hobby he picked up from his mom. He was a big fan of all sports and especially NASCAR. He was fortunate to spend much of his youth collecting autographs each spring training from various teams that played at Terry Park in Fort Myers. His favorite baseball teams were the LA Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays. :-)
He was an honest and loyal friend and employee throughout his life, spending much of it in the construction industry. He had a enormously generous heart and a quirky sense of humor. A Celebration of Life is schedule for November 7, 2020 at Sudgen Park in Naples, FL @ 2:00 p.m.
"Soar with the wings of Eagles, Billy! You earned them!"