William A. "Bill" Gels, age 75, of St. Henry, died on Thursday, September 7, 2017 surrounded by his family in Columbus, Ohio.

He was born August 25, 1942 in Celina to the late Raymond & Cleopha (Green) Gels. He was married to Diane (Hoying) for 50 years and she survives him in Columbus, Ohio.

He is survived by four children, Doug & Sarah Gels, Lynn & Steve Bruening and Amy & Mike Redin all of Columbus and Steve Gels of Cincinnati; eight grandchildren; sisters, Jean & David Thobe of Maria Stein and Peg & Dick Cacek of Englewood; and in laws, Jean & Jim Heitbrink, Marty Heitkamp, Sr. Jean Rene Hoying, Dave & Helen Hoying, Monica & Ken Boerger, Tom & Rosie Koverman and Rita & Denny Sollmann.

He is preceded in death by a brother-in-law, Tom Heitkamp.

He was a graduate of the University of Dayton and worked for Crown Equipment for over 25 years before retiring in 1999. He was a member of the St. Henry Catholic Church, St. Henry Knights of Columbus, Mercer County Elks Lodge and the Coldwater Eagles.

Bill enjoyed spending time with family and friends, golfing and boating. He also was an avid fan of the Cincinnati Reds and the Ohio State Buckeyes.

A Memorial Mass will be held at 10:30 AM on Saturday, September 23, 2017 at St. Henry Catholic Church. A celebration of Bill's life will follow at the St. Henry American Legion.

The family request, in lieu of flowers, that donations be made to The James Cancer Research Center at https://cancer.osu.edu/giving-back.

The Hogenkamp Funeral Home in St. Henry is handling the arrangements. Condolences may be left for the family at hogenkampfh.com.