William F. "Bill" Gimpel Jr.

William Ferdinand Gimpel Jr., 84, of Chestertown, Maryland, died March 11, 2026. William “Bill” Gimpel was born in Boston, MA on November 11, 1941, the eldest child of William F. Gimpel Sr. and Edith (Witherell) Gimpel. He grew up in Raynham, MA, and spent his summers in Roland Park, NH at the family cottage where he explored the woods, picked blueberries, and hand-cranked ice cream. It was his summers spent up-country that instilled in him a life-long love of nature, and it was on Dan Hole Pond where he learned to swim, canoe, and fish. Bill was an avid outdoorsman who especially enjoyed fishing in Dan Hole Pond and Pyramid Lake in Nevada. He formed strong bonds with the folks he fished with and those in his hunt club. He loved observing nature, whether from his back door or deep in the wilderness. He enjoyed walks in the woods and was happy to share his knowledge about all kinds of organisms with anyone who was curious. Bill graduated from Taunton High School in 1959 and spent that summer working on Star Island, NH as an engineer where he met his future wife, E. Christine Church. He earned an associate’s degree from the Thompson School of Agriculture at the University of New Hampshire, where he majored in horticulture to avoid a required class on poultry science. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1962 and spent most of his service as a shipfitter on the USS Taconic. He nearly missed his own wedding but received special dispensation to leave his ship while it was deployed in the naval blockade of the Dominican Republic. Chris and Bill were married on June 12, 1965, and he was honorably discharged as a Petty Officer 2nd Class in 1966. After leaving the service he earned a B.S. in agricultural economics, followed by an M.S. and a PhD. in entomology from the University of Maryland. He and Chris moved to Bowie, MD where they raised their two children, Maren and Rob. They lived there for more than 50 years until 2024 when they moved to Heron Point in Chestertown, MD. Bill worked for the Maryland Department of Agriculture for 31 years, starting as a nursery inspector and retiring as Chief of Plant Protection. He managed regulatory issues involving insect pests and plant diseases. He was an active member of many scientific and trade groups, including the Entomological Society of America, the National Plant Board, and the Maryland Nursery, Landscape and Greenhouse Association, where he helped create the Certified Professional Horticulturist program and was the first regulator to ever serve on their board of directors. In his personal time, he was a gardener with his own greenhouse, where he hybridized roses and propagated plants. He grew flowers, fruits, and vegetables, and over the years, he transformed an open suburban lot into a garden oasis. He was also a beekeeper who gave away the honey he produced to his friends and colleagues. Bill enjoyed lending a hand to his neighbors and the communities that mattered to him. He loved to help his friends with their renovations, repairs, and weekend cabins. A lifelong Unitarian Universalist he served on committees in churches in Annapolis, MD, White Stone, VA and Chestertown, MD, and held leadership roles within the Star Island Corporation, where he and Chris met, and returned almost every summer for conferences with their family. When he was nearing retirement, Bill and Chris purchased a century-old waterfront house in Weems, VA. Where others would have seen a tear-down, he put his skills to use gutting and renovating to create a comfortable home where they were able to spend a significant portion of the last 20 years. He loved the beautiful view of the creek and the pier where he raised oysters and launched his canoe. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Christine; daughter and son-in-law Maren and Dan of Chestertown; son Rob of Bowie; grandchildren Trinity and Quinn McCauley; and 12 nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his parents and his siblings, Tim Gimpel and Betsy Gimpel Mena. Memorial donations can be made in Bill’s name to Star Island (https://starisland.org/donate-online/), the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests (https://community.forestsociety.org/site/Donation2?df_id=1680&mfc_pref=T&1680.donation=form1), or the Foreman’s Branch Bird Observatory (https://www.washcoll.edu/giving/giving-form.php?form_designation_interest2=CES)

William F. "Bill" Gimpel Jr.

November 11, 1941 - March 11, 2026