William Holliday De Witt

William “Bill” Holliday De Witt passed away Wednesday, September 6th, 2023. He was 81 years old. The youngest of four children of Douglas Holden De Witt and Helen East Holliday De Witt, Bill grew up in Los Angeles County and graduated from Dorsey High School and the University of Southern California.

He learned to sail, drive powerboats and ski from a young age, and these became lifelong hobbies. As a youth, he participated in the Balboa Island Yacht Club (Commodore 1957), starting a family tradition that continues to this day.

After graduating USC with a degree in finance, he served in the U.S. Coast Guard and Coast Guard Reserve through 1970. In 1959, he joined the family business, General Veneer Manufacturing Co., working closely with his father and two brothers and later serving as its president for over 25 years. He was also very involved with industrial real estate in southern California.

He was first elected to the South Gate City Council in 1980 and eventually served 24 years over four separate periods. He was appointed Mayor of South Gate numerous times and served on countless committees and districts throughout the community. He was deeply committed to honest government and fair-dealing and worked tirelessly to make the community a better place. He was a longstanding member, and past president, of the South Gate Rotary Club, and mentored many individuals over the years.

Bill raced offshore power boats and operated sport-fishing and diving boats off the southern California coast. He loved to spend time in the mountains of California and the deserts of the American West. An avid hiker and adventurer, he loved charts and maps and knowing the detailed history of all sorts of things. Bill was interested in the lives of others. Every chair lift ride at Mammoth Mountain was an opportunity to meet and learn about new people. He was always ready to go on a new adventure and willing to help in any way he could, especially if it involved driving or boating.

He developed a farm in Amargosa Valley, Nevada, and enjoyed driving back and forth between southern California and southern Nevada. The only time he sat still was when he was driving, but his mind was always at work with new ideas and projects to undertake.

He married Mary Runing in 1977, and they had three children, William, Edward, and Douglas.

He enjoyed exploring the world with his beloved wife, children, grandchildren, and extended family and friends. They will remember him fondly in places like Amargosa Valley, Mammoth Lakes, Hawaii, Lake Powell, the Grand Canyon, and a thousand other spots along the way.

He was preceded in death by his son Douglas, brothers, Douglas and Richard, and his sister, Mary Sarah Bradley. He is survived by his wife Mary, sons William (Lindsay) and Edward (Anne), and grandchildren Campbell, Rory, Theodore, Oscar, Kensington, and Hannah.

There will be a public memorial at South Gate Municipal Auditorium on Sunday, September 23 at 1 pm. Burial will be private.