William Renard

William Renard died peacefully in his apartment at Mercy McMahon Terrace, Sacramento, on November 26, 2025, at the age of 89. His loving wife of 66 years, Anneliese Renard, and his youngest daughter, Monique Renard-Pierce, were by his side.

Bill was born on September 10, 1936, to William and Marie Renard of Fair Lawn, New Jersey. He earned his Bachelor of Electrical Engineering degree at Manhattan College in New York in 1958, then went on to work as a field engineer for the U.S. Air Force, crisscrossing the country in his intrepid VW bug.

During time off from his TACAN work in Sacramento, California, Bill attended a CYO dance in the basement of the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, where he met Anneliese. After a whirlwind courtship of 6 months, they married on April 11, 1959, at Sacred Heart Church in Sacramento. Anneliese then joined Bill on the road until 1961, when they settled in Sacramento to raise a family.

Bill subsequently landed a job as an electrical engineer at SMUD, where he worked from 1961 until his retirement in 1995, and meanwhile attended night school at Sacramento State University to procure his MBA in 1968. Bill was an active member of Sacred Heart Church and the Knights of Columbus, where he is remembered for his generosity, dedication, and handyman and tree-cutting skills.

Throughout his life with Anneliese, Bill enjoyed traveling. Some favorite destinations were Burney Falls and Lassen, Muir Woods and San Francisco, the California coast, Lake Tahoe, Mono Lake, and Yosemite. Bill and Anneliese occasionally ventured farther afield to places including Virginia City, the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Hawaii, and they regularly visited family on the East Coast and in Germany.

Bill is survived by his wife, Anneliese; his sisters, Jeanne and MaryEllen; his children, Ingrid, Carl, Kent, and Monique; his favorite grandson, Cory; and numerous other grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Services will be held at St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery chapel at 10 a.m. on Monday, December 22, 2025.