William “Bill” H. Borsch
Date Of Birth: 11/04/1931
Date of Death: 08/21/2026
William “Bill” Henry Borsch, age 94, passed away on August 21, 2026, in Mount Angel, Oregon. Born in Portland, Oregon on November 4, 1931, Bill was the middle child of Ferd and Catherine Borsch. Bill grew up in Portland, attended St. Clare Grade School and graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1950. He went on to earn a degree in engineering from the University of Portland before honorably serving in the U.S. Army, where he utilized his skills for HAM Radio communication. Following his military service, Bill moved to San Diego, California, where he spent the majority of his career working as an engineer for Hardie Irrigation until his retirement in 1997.
During his time in San Diego, Bill lived a very active and social life. He dedicated much of his time to gardening, woodworking, and attending Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá. In 2016, he moved back to Oregon to be closer to his family, joining the Mount Angel Towers community and making it his home for the last ten years of his life. There, he seamlessly continued his passions for gardening and woodworking, and took great pride in his heavy involvement with the residents’ Mini Shop. Bill was a truly great storyteller who would enthusiastically share his tales with anyone who would listen—and his stories were always well worth the listen. He was also a passionate writer, accumulating a binder full of original poems, and he loved carrying a selection around with him to read and share with his fellow residents. Everyone who knew Bill came to love his sense of humor, his diligence, his exceptional organization, his ability to grow a “weedy” garden, his knack for tinkering with anything, and his devout faithfulness.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, his two brothers, Ferd and Joe Borsch, and nephew, Chris. Bill is survived by his sisters-in-law, Patti and Lucille; his nephews, Timmy, Brian, Peter, and Greg; his nieces, Lisa and Carolyn; and five great-nephews and great-nieces.
A funeral mass will be celebrated on Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 11:00 AM at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Tigard, Oregon. Burial will follow directly after the mass at St. Anthony Cemetery.