William “Bill” Kasten, 69, who lived in Riverside from birth in 1951 until the 1980s, died March 27 in Columbus, Ohio, his second “hometown.”
A student at St. Mary’s from kindergarten through sixth grade, he graduated from Hauser Junior High and from Riverside-Brookfield High School in 1969. He earned a B.A. in history from St. Mary’s University in Minnesota, and pursued careers in the licensed beverage business and then in the home building industry. He was also a hobby woodworker.
Known for impromptu parties, Mr. Kasten married former classmate Muretta Strohecker in 1988, and they made their home in Columbus. The two were divorced eventually but remained friends, and Muretta was at his hospital bedside when he passed.
Mr. Kasten is also survived by his sister, Merle Turner, of Dallas. A celebration of Bill’s life is being planned, to be conducted via Zoom.
