William Entress
June 20, 1935 - January 3, 2021

January 3, 2021 at the age of 85. Bill is survived by his devoted wife, Barbara J. (Smorol) Entress; sons, Tom (Sandy) Entress, Steve (Kathie) Entress Billy (Kim) Entress; grandchildren, Christina (Brian) Sauers, Tom Entress, Jr., Jason Entress, Emily Entress, Amanda Entress, Catherine Entress Josh Entress; great-granddaughters, Mackenzie Sauers Breanna Sauers; sisters, Dorothy (Phil) Perotto Marilyn Assenato; several nieces, nephews, cousins dear friends.

Special thanks to the caregivers at the Episcopal Church Home for the wonderful care they gave to Bill.

AS PER NYS REGULATIONS, ALL ARE REQUIRED TO WEAR MASKS HAND SANITIZE AT THE FUNERAL HOME AND CHURCH

Bill's life story will be shared during his visitation at the funeral home, Sunday, January 24th, from 1-4 PM. His funeral mass will be celebrated, Monday, January 25th, 9 AM at the Parish of the Holy Family, 4100 Lyell Rd. His interment with military honors at Holy Ghost Cemetery will be private.

Click here to view the recording of Bill's Funeral Mass

In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Episcopal Home, 505 Mt. Hope Ave., Rochester, NY 14620 or to the School of the Holy Childhood, 100 Groton Parkway, Rochester NY, 14623 in Bill's memory.



Bill was born on June 20, 1935 to his parents Leo and Ann Entress and grew up on the family homestead on Westside Drive.



From a young age, Bill loved sports, especially baseball and football. He was a boy scout and an altar boy at Holy Ghost Church. Bill started working at Knoepfler's IGA on Coldwater Rd, a family business, at the age of twelve. He grew up spending time with his sisters Dorothy and Marilyn, and brother Bob. Dorothy has fond childhood memories of Bill giving her rides on his bike from their home on Westside Drive to Holy Ghost School.



Bill went to Holy Ghost School for early education. He attended the former St. Bernard's Seminary in Rochester his first three years of high school, eventually graduating from Aquinas Institute.



Bill and his future wife Barb met at the Holy Ghost Youth (Aljo) Club, where they enjoyed slow dancing to the song Blueberry Hill. They continued to date after Barb moved back to Syracuse with Bill visiting frequently even before the NYS Thruway was built! Bill's Great Aunt Nora once asked him "Why can't you find a nice local German girl to date?" Barb is very happy he didn't. They were married on August 4, 1956. Their first son Tom was born August 12, 1957.



Bill joined the Navy Reserves while in high school. In October of 1955, he and some friends signed up for four years in the US Navy. Early in his enlistment, Bill was stationed in California, Massachusetts and Washington DC, where he successfully completed a two-year college course in Russian language in six months. Bill's training and "Communication Technician" rank ended up taking the family to Japan for two years. There he monitored radio frequencies for foreign intel. Their second son Steve was born in Japan on April 21, 1959. In 1961, Bill was honorably discharged after completing his four years of service.



Returning from Japan, Barb and Bill purchased a home in the city and welcomed their third son Bill Jr. on October 12, 1962. Bill worked for his father Leo at the Entress IGA grocery store. He then took over the Coldwater Frozen Foods Meat Market, where he enjoyed serving his customers for many years. In 1995, Bill began working for the Gates Chili School District, where he was employed for fifteen years. He was often commended for his strong work ethic and friendly demeanor.



Bill enjoyed bowling in the Knights of Columbus bowling league with his father. He also enjoyed fellowship at various Holy Ghost Church "Men's Club" events. Attending these events later in life with his adult sons Bill and Tom made them even more special.



Bill was a caring father and husband who made time for family and friends. In the kids' younger years, the family took frequent vacations to the Adirondack Mountains. Bill and Barb loved their annual trips to their timeshare in Aruba. They often traveled with good friends and family like Jan and Woody, and Jack and Louise.



Bill loved large holiday dinners and family get-togethers. He found joy in attending and supporting the many events his kids, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren participated in. This included drum corps, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, and football games, track meets, band and choral concerts, dance recitals, and horse shows.

For many years, Bill was a loyal, often frustrated, Buffalo Bills fan. He loved baseball, as long as it was not the New York Yankees. He also was a long-standing Rochester Knighthawks Lacrosse season ticket holder. He really looked forward to attending home games with his son Bill, grandson Josh, and nephew Danny.



Bob Hope, Carol Burnett, and Red Skelton were three of Bill's favorite entertainers and television shows early in his adult life. A more recent favorite show was Blue Bloods, which he watched at every opportunity.



After retiring, Bill found great pleasure spending the summer working in his yard and flower gardens. He also enjoyed delivering food to those in need for the SWEM Food Cupboard.



Bill was a friendly, good-natured man with a strong sense of humor and the ability to laugh at himself. This came in handy with the ribbing he often received from his sons and other members of his family. His strong work ethic and pride in a job well done made him a wonderful role model for his sons. He was a well-respected and appreciated colleague in all the jobs he held.



Bill valued his relationships with his friends and was always there if they needed him. He was a man of strong Catholic faith. From early childhood until he could not attend, due to his hip, Bill remained active at Holy Ghost Church and The Parish of The Holy Family. His easy-going personality and steadfast faith helped him accept and face the challenges laid before him his last few years.

Bill was a family-oriented man who loved his best friend and wife Barb with his whole heart. That love extended to his entire family, especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Bill's family and friends will fondly remembered him faithful, loving, kind, generous and loyal man.

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